Your Love Is All The Magic I Need
by ReluctantSidekick
Summary: Harry won the war but died in the final battle. Lives were left damaged and now Harry is sent back to make a better future. HP/NM/FD/NT.
1. Chapter 1

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter One. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells. Like Narcissa's Chance, this will be updated weekly.

Chapter One: The End, and what came next

The Battle of Hogwarts

 _Voldemort lay dead. Harry stood triumphant. For a moment her heart sang as she saw him there._

 _And then he fell._

 _She wasn't sure how she managed to get down to the courtyard as quickly as she did. But she reached him before anyone else._

" _Harry!" She cried, pulling him against her._

" _Fleur?...I didn't know you were here?" His voice was soft, too soft she thought, "He's dead...Voldemort is dead.." He smiled weakly, when he opened his eyes she noticed that he wasn't looking at her. He wasn't looking at anything._

" _You did it Harry, you won and we're safe. Madam Pomfrey will-" She started, but stopped as she saw the great crimson stain spreading under his left arm._

" _P-promise me something Fleur." He whispered, his face turning pale. "Promise me you'll be happy..."_

 _Harry Potter died in her arms. He saved the world, and hers ended._

 **CLICK**

The day before Fleur's family went back to France

 _She stood there watching as Harry gave Gabrielle a hug. Fleur smiled watching as the little girl threw her arms around the boy who had become her hero._

" _'Arry, may I talk to you?" She asked him, as the tournament had progressed the two had become closer. He looked up from Gabrielle and nodded, "Sure, what's on your mind?"_

" _Not 'ere, will you follow me?"_

 _He rose, Gabrielle ran back to her parents as he and Fleur walked away from the crowd. She led him into an empty classroom. "'Arry..I..I just want to.." Words failed her and she pulled him in for a kiss. When they kissed, she felt her magic singing to his and it terrified her._

" _Fleur...could we..go to Hogsmeade together?" He asked her. Her heart said yes, her soul said yes, she opened her mouth,_

" _Non."_

 **CLICK**

Presenting Mr and Mrs Bill Weasley

" _Harry looks miserable." Bill said to her, "Go and dance with him, that might cheer him up."_

 _She didn't want to dance with him, her mind told her that. Her heart, however, was crying out to embrace him. She needed to hold him, to kiss him again. She wanted nothing more than to take him into her arms and apparate to the hotel she and Bill were going to spend their honeymoon._

" _I.." She nodded and went over. Harry did look awful, but no worse than she felt. When their eyes met she could feel her magic singing again, but the song was much fainter. That faintness scared her, but the idea of losing herself in those green eyes scared her more._

" _'Arry, would you dance with the bride?"_

 _He went to answer, and that was when the death eaters attacked._

 **CLICK**

Fleur finds out about the shattered bond

 _Apolline was furious, "Why didn't you tell us Fleur? You were bonded to someone besides William. Do you know what happens when a Veela rejects her bondmate?"_

 _Fleur lay in her bed, pale and weak. She hadn't risen in a week. Bill had left her in the care of a nurse before throwing himself into his work. He had written to Apolline, telling her the symptoms. She had come the very next day._

" _It doesn't matter Maman...he is dead now." Her voice was ragged, it had been nearly twenty years since the battle of Hogwarts. In the rare moments when she slept, she still saw his eyes. She still heard his plea to her, 'Promise me you'll be happy'. She had broken that promise the moment his heart stopped beating._

" _Who was he?"_

" _It doesn't matter." She drew in a deep breath, "I broke his heart time and again and now I'm paying the price. I will die. Perhaps in the afterlife I will be able to find him and apologize for what I did."_

" _Who was he? Please tell me.."_

" _H-harry-" Then her breathing stopped and Fleur Weasley was no more._

 **CLICK**

"Now, it's your turn."

 **CLICK**

Grimmauld Place, six thirty-six pm.

 _She had came into the library with him. He looked nervous, she gave him a reassuring smile. "What's on your mind Harry?"_

" _I uh..I wanted to know if we could..will you come to Hogsmeade with me when I go back to Hogwarts?" He blurted it out, just as he had done with Cho._

" _Harry Potter, are you asking me on a date?" She asks, her hair slowly turning a rosy pink._

" _It's stupid I know...you're beautiful..you could have anyone.." He said, "But yes.."_

 _She smiled. "I'd love to."_

 _She didn't show up. She had confided in Molly Weasley and Molly had convinced her that she was too old, he was too young._

" _What would the papers say? 'Boy-who-lived and adult witch found canoodling'?" As Molly had put it. It was her own fears repeated back to her that erased her nerve._

 _From her hiding spot, she watched as Harry stood there with flowers. The rain was pouring down and she could see the anticipation turn to worry..and then resignation..and finally he turned and walked back towards the castle gates. He dropped the flowers at the corner, once he was out of sight she ran forward and grabbed them. Later she would write an owl, telling him that she had been held up by work and had been unable to come and that it was probably best that they didn't try again._

 **CLICK**

The Tonks flat, one evening in late summer.

 _They were sitting on her bed. She placed a hand on his knee, "I know what you're planning.." She said softly, "You're going to bring the war to him."_

 _He nodded, "I have to. It's the only way to free the world from him."_

" _You're mad. You know this right?" She chuckled softly, "Before you go...I want to do something for you.."_

 _She kissed him. That night they sleep together. The way her body responds to him terrifies her. When its over she's laying there, her arms around him._

" _Tonks..I lo-"_

" _If you finish that sentence I swear I will obliviate you. You cannot love me. This was just sex. You're going to be risking your life for us. Least I could do was show you a good time." Her voice is soft and deadly serious. Her arms move from around him, "Maybe I should sleep on the couch.." His arms came back around her, and against her better judgment she slept in his arms._

 _She was gone when he awoke._

 **CLICK**

Shortly after New Years Eve the same year

" _I've found Professor Lupin. He's on his way here." Harry sat on the bed beside her, for the first time since Remus had left her hair changes color from dull washed out brown to a light yellow._

" _You..paused in the middle of looking for those things...to tell my husband to-"_

" _To get his shaggy ass back here before his son is born." He smiled, but when she heard him call the baby inside her Remus' son, it killed her._

" _Harry..will you do one more thing for me please?" This was a terrible decision, but it was the only way she could see this working._

" _Of course.."_

" _Just..just close your eyes." He did as she asked and she leaned in and kissed him. She could feel hot tears spilling onto her cheeks, she reached for her wand and pointed it at his temple."_

" _ **obliviate** "_

 _She took his memories of loving her, all of them. She replaced them with memories where they were just friends. She rose and rushed out of the room before he snapped out of it. If he couldn't see her crying, she wouldn't have to explain it._

 **CLICK**

Gringotts, a few days after the Battle.

 _He'd named Teddy his heir. Her little boy was the new Lord Black. He'd made sure that she and her mother were back in the family as well. Her mother was given Grimmauld Place, her childhood home._

 _He'd left a few letters, one for her and one for Fleur Weasley._

 _'Dear Tonks,_

 _If you've been given this, then I won. He'll never hurt you, or anyone else ever again. I don't blame you or Fleur for saying no when I asked you each to be with me. It was too dangerous, I had a giant target on my back and if something had happened to either of you..._

 _It's not so bad, at least I'll get to see my Mum and Dad, Sirius too._

 _Be Happy,_

 _Harry.'_

 _She cried after reading the letter. He must have written this before coming to see her the last time. She never got a chance to tell him the truth, that Harry was Teddy's father._

 _She had told Remus a few days after the reading of the will. Not about Teddy, but about what she had done to Harry._

" _You stole his memories?"_

" _I..I had to, I couldn't be the reason he hesitated." She tried to explain to her furious husband._

" _Have you ever done that to me? Wait.." He held up his hand, "Don't answer, I'll never know the truth."_

 _He'd left that night, taking Teddy with him._

 _A few days later, his and Teddy's bodies were found in an alley. Death Eaters who had escaped after the battle had killed them seeking revenge._

 _Her mother had cast her out of the family when she told her about what she had done._

 _She moved in with Fleur and Bill. In Fleur's final days, she and Apolline did their best to make her comfortable. They had become friends, bound together by their sorrow over their treatment of Harry._

 _When Fleur died, Tonks brewed a draught of death and joined her._

 **CLICK**

"And that's why you two are here now..."

Tonks and Fleur each blinked rapidly. They were sitting inu a very mundane looking office. Before them was a large screen the words "How you screwed up..." and standing at the side of the screen, a small black object in her hand was a very, very angry looking dark-haired woman in black robes.

"I suppose you would like to know what brings you to my little office?" She said, waving her hand and the screen vanished. In its place was a large dark wooden desk. Sitting behind the desk she pulled out a very large file marked 'Potter. Harry, James.'

"Right then, Harry James Potter. Born 1980, died 1998. C.O.D. That's 'cause of death', blood loss/broken heart. Preceded in death by Lily Evans Potter, Mother. James Charlus Potter, Father. Sirius Orion Black, Godfather...Survived by Nymphadora Druella Tonks-Lupin, Fleur Isabelle Delacour, true loves. Theodore Edward Tonks-Lupin, son...the Dursleys, but no one cares about them.." She flicked her eyes up at the two women, then back to the file, "He defeated Tom Riddle, saved not just the Wizarding World, but the Muggle one as well...and continually did his best for the women he loved, regardless of how they treated him."

Tonks didn't speak, _She's right...time and again we abused his love for us.._ "It could be worse..." The woman said as she made a note in his file, "He could have had the knowledge that he loved you ripped from his mind..oh wait..you did that." She said evenly looking at Tonks.

"Where are we?" Fleur asked finally, "Is this-"

"No. It's not Hell." The woman said, "I am Hecate, the reaper assigned to the Potter file. You are in my office, normally I would have the two of your processed and sent on to your final destination..but this is a rather special case."

"What makes it special?" Dora said, "We're dead. He's dead because of us. Why aren't we burning?"

"Because that overly noble imbecile wouldn't let me." Hecate finally admitted through clenched teeth, "Trust me, I wanted to send you both to Hell, but the Powers That Be offered Harry his hearts desire as a reward for the thankless task set before him. His hearts desire is that you two got a chance to live a better life."

As Hecate spoke, the wall behind her split open, showing a nearly blindingly white haze behind her. Standing in it was Harry Potter, looking just as he had that day at Hogwarts.

"He might see you, but he won't speak. He hasn't spoken more than three words since he got here." Hecate explained, her voice soft and sad. "He was offered the chance to live his life, but he didn't see the point, the two women he loved more than anything were both married. He'd said his goodbyes when he wrote those letters, so he didn't have any unfinished business..."

Tonks could feel her heart breaking yet again, she didn't care if he wouldn't respond, or if he even knew they were there, "Harry! I'm so sorry...I ruined your life the moment I stumbled into it...you should have never met me.." She lowered her head and cried softly, for a moment she felt something very soft on her shoulder, when she looked up nothing was there, but Harry was moving back into the light, and Hecate looked as if she was about to throw something at her.

"You see this? Even now, he tries to comfort you." Hecate said, her fingers clinched around a bright red mug with the phrase 'Best Reaper 1066' written on it.

Fleur too was crying, she had felt Harry's spirit, but that contact had only made it worse. _He was my missing heartbeat...why couldn't I just admit it then?_ She had known she loved Harry shortly after they kissed at Hogwarts. Walking away from him had felt like she was walking away from part of herself. She kept it quiet from her mother and father, but Gabrielle had noticed.

" _Fleur, why are you so sad? Will you miss Hogwarts that much?"_

" _It's not that..Harry and I kissed.."_

 _Gabrielle clapped her hands, "That's wonderful! Then he can be your boyfriend and then you can get married and have a bunch of babies and I can be their Aunt Gabbi!"_

" _Gabbi...I...I told him that we couldn't be together. This is my last year at Beauxbatons, he still has his fifth, sixth, and seventh years left...three years where all I could do is see him on holidays and some weekends." Fleur sighed, ignoring the look on her little sisters face, "It's better this way...he'll get over me and find someone his own age."_

 _But he didn't.._ Fleur thought sadly, _He never stopped loving me, even as he found a place in his heart for Tonks.._

Hecate watched them, "So, this is the part where I explain how this little exercise will work; you two idiots are going back to the critical moment for Harry; the Tri-Wizard tournament. Unfortunately, due to the rules set forth by the F&D department, I can't let you have all your memories because it would drive you both crazy. But you'll see enough in your dreams that you should be able to figure things out."

Tonks looked at Fleur and then to Hecate, "So what? May the best woman win?"

"No, dimwit. Harry loves you both. You're going to make this work or I'll let my special guest haunt you forever." Hecate said, "Speaking of my special guest, I think it's time she had a word with you two.."

With that Hecate snapped her fingers and Lily Potter stood there, cradling a small black haired baby in her arms.

Lily looked at Fleur, "So, you were my sons first love. You ran from your feelings and broke his heart. And it killed you. If you would have just listened to your heart you would have lived a long and happy life with my son."

Then Lily turned to Tonks, "You. You knew he loved you. You threatened him and when he stopped fighting Voldemort in order to bring your wayward husband back you stole memories. And he still died, you killed him. Both of you did. You took away his reason to keep fighting. And what did you get out of it? This little one died at the hands of death eaters."

Tonks noticed that the baby in her arms was Teddy, "My baby.." She cried, reaching out for him.

Lily moved away, "Why would I give you your baby after what you've done to mine? This little one, even if he hadn't died, would have never known his real father. I love Remus, he was one of our dearest friends, but he was a coward. Even if there hadn't been a war, he would have ran away eventually...but Harry..he would always have stayed with you."

Tonks was crying again, "I know that. I knew it when I oblivated him. It was the worst thing I ever did, but...I couldn't be married to Remus while Harry was in love with me...but I couldn't go back to Harry after how I treated him.."

"He still loved you. Both of you." Lily softened looking down at the child in her arms, "At any time before that final day he would have taken either or both of you back."

Lily pressed a kiss to Teddy's forehead and then placed the child in Tonks' arms. "Give this child a chance at a better life...I don't want to see my grandson until he's an old man."

"I will." Tonks promised, looking into her sons eyes, "I will..."

"And you," Lily said, turning back to Fleur, "Unless you like the ambiance of this office I would recommend you learn how to listen. Not just to your brain," she smiled to her, "but to your heart."

"I will, I swear it." Fleur said

"Right then, it's time to send you back. You're each going to wake up in your respective homes before the Tri-Wizard tournament was announced." Hecate said, "try to pay attention this time.."

With that, the room went dark and the two witches were sent back into the mortal world.

Scene Break

Tonks woke up in her flat, her head was buzzing and she felt dried tears on her cheeks, _Merlin what happened last night?_

Dreaming of a man in her arms wasn't unknown. She had dreamed of Charlie Weasley when they had dated. But dreaming of a black-haired wizard that she'd never met before that one was new. _Who was that bloke? Why did I wipe his memory? If I wiped his memory then he must be a muggle..but then why was I crying?_

Annoying thoughts, and thoughts that even a cup of hot black coffee and a plate of bacon and eggs wouldn't remove. Obliviation of a wizard was considered very close to unforgivable, so if this mystery wizard had been obliviated, it had been something big. Her wand began to buzz and she cast a quick tempus. _It's time to head into the Ministry..._ She rose and drained her cup of coffee before vanishing with a crack.

Scene Break

Fleur too had woken up crying. _I must find the wizard I saw in my dream. I was in a wedding gown, but he wasn't dressed as the groom. But he was the one my soul was crying out for. But I was marrying another._ She wiped the sleep and tears from her eyes and rose from the bed.

Her final year at Beauxbatons would be starting soon. Then she would find her place as a witch in the world. Her plan was to get a job in the French Ministry, that or work for a private firm as a liaison. She could speak several different languages, both muggle and magical. _I can speak the goblin tongue, so perhaps Gringotts.._

She dressed and made her way down to get breakfast. She bade her parents good morning as she grabbed a croissant and began to butter it. Her parents were discussing the usual boring Ministry issues and Fleur felt her mind wandering. Until her father asked her a question.

"I am sorry Papa, I didn't hear you.." She said, "I was still a bit hazy from the night before.."

"I said, Beauxbatons will be sending a delegation to England this year. Our Ministries, along with the Bulgarian Ministry are bringing back the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Jean Luc said, "Minister Dugalle has authorized me to increase the training budget for our security forces. Each country will have a delegation from their Department of Magical Law Enforcement present to act as security. It would be rather silly if we had students from the three most illustrious schools in Europe together at a tournament known to be dangerous and not have increased security."

Fleur found herself excited by the tournament. _I'll have to send a message to cousin Evangeline..._ She thought to herself. Jean Luc recognized the look on his daughters face and smiled, "Flower, do remember that I have technically given you classified information. Try not to tell Evangeline Lalaurie everything at least before the beginning of the school year."

 _How does he always know?_ She wondered before finishing her breakfast and going back upstairs to her room. Ever since she was a child, her father had always been able to read her better than nearly anyone else. That was going to stop her from telling her best friend of course, it just meant that she wouldn't use an owl. _I suppose I can sit on this information until I see her at Beauxbatons._

Scene Break

In her cell at Azkaban, Bellatrix Lestrange was trapped in a familiar nightmare. She saw herself standing in a bright white room. A strange dark-haired wizard was beside her. For some reason, being near him seemed to make things easier though. It was a nightmare to her because she knew the truth. No matter who this wizard is, she couldn't find him in this place.

 _She was crying. Bellatrix Lestrange didn't cry. But here she was, bawling and this strange wizard had his arms around her. She drew in a deep breath and tried to stop the tears. "Why?" She asked him._

" _Because you deserve it." He said softly, "You've been hurting for so long because of what they did to you. I will find you, and I will set you free." He stroked her back and Bellatrix continued to cry._

 _She kissed him and then there was a bright flash of light. She saw herself sitting in a chair in what looked like someone's study. Across from her was a dark haired woman wearing black robes and cleaning her fingernails with a silver letter opener. "Bellatrix Lestrange. Cause of death: Cursed by Molly Weasley. I was hoping you'd show up sooner rather than later, but it appears that you won't be staying with me." The dark-haired woman rolled the letter opener and it became a silver quill. The woman scratched something onto a parchment and Bellatrix watched as the parchment vanished. "Right. You're going back. When you get back to the mortal world, try and remember to not be a murderous psychopath this time, if at all possible..."_

" _I didn't set out to be one.." Bellatrix began but stopped, "But I did become one..I don't know how to change what I've done.."_

 _The dark-haired woman sighed, the quill turned back into a letter opener. She set it down on the desk and looked at Bellatrix, "What you do is learn. Let go of the hate and the madness you let overwhelm you."_

Bellatrix awoke in her cell. The Dementors came as they always did, but for some reason she felt a warmth within her that she hadn't felt before. It was as if that wizard she'd seen in her dreams was standing beside her.

Scene Break

Narcissa looked at her nude form in the mirror with a skeptical eye. As always, she was able to spot the wrinkles and imperfections that no one else would see. She sighed and leaned in, noting a very slight darkening under her eyes. Lucius had made very clear what she was to do. Seduce Harry Potter, however she could and lay with the boy until she was pregnant and then blackmail him for the money in the Potter vault as well as the Black Vault.

" _You know as well as I do Narcissa that Black will never allow Draco to be his heir." Lucius paced as Narcissa sat watching, idly combing out her hair, "I know that the Potters are related to the Blacks, so he would most likely seek to make that brat his heir. A halfblood as the heir to House Black...it's too disgusting to think of."_

 _Narcissa rolled her eyes, offering a silent prayer to Maeve that Lucius was pacing and not looking at her._

" _What you'll need to do is convince him to sign the fortune over to us. Since he hates our family I doubt that you'd be able to get him to do so willingly." Lucius mused, "The Imperius won't work...magical contracts are nullified by compulsion spells..."_

" _Why don't I just leave you and marry him then.." Narcissa muttered. Lucius frowned but then smiled nastily._

" _Narcissa, I think you've given me an idea.."_

Lucius had practically ordered her to drag him into a broom closet. She knew that in order to prevent her husband from badgering her it would be better to just get it over with. _Surely even a teenaged virgin can't be as bad as Lucius was on our wedding night.._ She thought with a tiny smirk touching her lips.

 _Who knows? Maybe Potter will be attracted to mature women..._ She knew that barring the use of a lust potion, she would have to rely on her looks and her cunning to make this plan work. _It wasn't a very good plan,_ she mused, _but it's best to let Lucius think he's had a brainstorm._

Her mind continued to wander as she applied scented oil to her body. She'd had the strangest dream. She'd seen herself holding a small baby.

" _This is that mongrels brat. Amycus wants it to hurt. I'm thinking we see how long it takes a baby to die from Cruciatus exposure..." Alecto Carrow inspected the wriggling child as if she was holding a dead fish. "It's a metamorphmagus like its mother. We can't find her, so we'll leave their bodies in the Alley as a warning to the blood traitors."_

 _Narcissa took the baby from the other woman, "Killing an infant hardly seems like a proper expenditure of our time.." The baby looked into Narcissa's eyes and shocked the witch when his hair turned her shade of blonde, "This is technically my nephew, you know.."_

" _Who cares? If you're too weak to kill it, I'll do it then." Alecto reached for the child and in that moment Narcissa did something she'd never expected. She killed Alecto Carrow. She'd never used the killing curse before this moment, but she used it now. "I am sorry little one, but my act of rebellion isn't going to fix anything. I can't take you anywhere safe, no one would trust me and I don't know where the others are hiding...all I can do is make our passage as painless as possible.." Narcissa reached into her pocket and took out a vial of poison. She gave the baby a dose and rocked him as the poison took effect and the baby stopped breathing. His hair returning to the soft brown it had been before._

 _Narcissa pressed a kiss to the baby's head and then took her own dose._

 _Amycus Carrow came into the room a few hours later. Finding both witches and the baby dead he nonetheless had a good idea of what had occurred. Luckily for him, as long as the baby was dead the plan could continue. He would mourn his sister later, for now he had two corpses to deposit._

 _Narcissa found herself in a white room, watching as a dark-haired woman passed the baby to a strangely familiar red-haired woman. She vaguely remembered Lily Potter from her days at Hogwarts when she was still known as Lily Evans. Seeing her accept the baby puzzled her._

 _The dark-haired woman came to sit in a chair that appeared before her, "She wasn't expecting her meet her grandson like this. You saved him from a terrible death, and you have her gratitude for that."_

" _Her grandson, but that was-" Narcissa began, but was stopped by the woman, who held up a hand._

" _All you need to know is that you don't know anything that you think you do. Teddy Tonks-Lupin should have been Teddy Tonks-Potter. He's the son of Harry Potter and Nymphadora Tonks. But that girl kept her head up her ass and married a jackass who abandoned her when he thought he'd knocked her up." The woman frowned and the silver pen she'd had in her hand turned into a full sized scythe. "Shit, lost my temper. Sorry, I just really hate people like that, you know?"_

 _The woman shook the scythe and it turned back into a pen, "Anyway. We're resetting this bitch and you're going to go back and try to live a better life. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but I've got your sister Bellatrix as my next appointment, I've been keeping her in limbo since Molly Weasley dropped her like a bag of sand."_

Narcissa did not pretend to understand her dreams. But the thoughts hadn't left her mind since. _Perhaps it was telling me to try and reconnect with Andromeda..._ She doubted very much that her older sister would welcome the reunion, but she would still try. _Perhaps after I seduce Potter, I can talk him into making her a Black again, assuming she leaves the mudblood..._

Scene Break

Harry was in History of Magic doing his best to not fall asleep as Binns continued to drone on and on about some Goblin named Ulgrok the Ulcerous or something similar. The constant scratching of Hermione's quill was hypnotic and soon lulled him into a dozing state.

 _Harry was having that dream again. Watching as women he didn't know were yelled at by a woman who'd introduced herself to him as Hecate. Hecate, had explained what was going on, though Harry was unsure what anything she'd said had meant,"Well, here's how it works out, you died and saved the world. But the Powers that Be, otherwise known as the two jackasses who sign my checks, have decreed that you deserve something for the way they screwed you over the last go 'round. So, they're giving you anything you want."_ Then the woman conjured a screen and vanished to the other side of it.

 _He couldn't hear anything from his side of the partition he was behind. But he could see it. The first set of women were sobbing, one seemed to look at him and try to say something, but he couldn't read her lips._

 _The next two came in alone, the first one he did recognize as Draco's mother. He'd met her at the Quidditch World Cup, though he was unsure if he could call it meeting. She'd sneered as she and her family went past Harry and the Weasleys._

 _The final witch though, for some reason Harry felt an overwhelming sympathy for the lost look in her eyes. It reminded him of the first and only time he'd accidentally called Petunia Dursley 'mum'. She'd hit him with a frying pan and fractured his wrist. It had been a terrible fourth birthday._

 _Each woman looked miserable and Harry just wanted to help them. Even Mrs Malfoy. She looked as if she'd seen horrors before she came to wherever they were. Then they were gone and he stood before the dark haired woman again, "Is there anything I can do to help them you were speaking to before?" He asked, watching an angry look overtake Hecate's face._

" _Of fucking course you want to save them too. You realize that they are each a partial reason for you being here? Tonks and Fleur took away your will to live, Malfoy tried to trick you into giving her everything, and as for Lestrange...that's the bitch that killed Sirius.." Hecate raged at him then rolled her eyes, "They knew that's what you'd want. I already told those four that they were going back to do things properly this time. So, try not to die this time until you're an old man. I don't mind you visiting, but keep it on a near-death level alright?"_

Harry was awakened by Hermione shaking him roughly, "Come on Harry, I want to see the Goblet of Fire. It's such a fascinating artifact." Harry rose and walked with his friends out of the classroom.

"I'm not going near that thing. Look at every year I've had at Hogwarts. There's no way something isn't going to happen that will result in me nearly dying because of that stupid cup..." Harry said as Hermione led him and Ron towards the Great Hall.


	2. Chapter 2

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Two. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Two: *Expletive Deleted* Magical Items

Harry didn't understand what was so fascinating about the Goblet. _It's a magical cup with flames coming out of it...why is Hermione acting like it's going to spontaneously start spewing out chocolates and galleons?_ He did watch his best friend's face with a fond smile as she came as close to the Goblet as she could without stepping over the age line drawn by Professor Dumbledore.

"It's amazing Harry, it's capable of selecting the most worthy witch or wizard from the schools that compete in the Tournament...think of how complex the arithmancy must be that powers its enchantments.." Hermione said, never taking her eyes off the Goblet. Harry made the appropriate noises of interest and allowed her to continue her admiration.

"Have you two seen Fred and George's beards yet?" Ron asked with a grin, "They got down past their knees before the charm stopped." Ron and Harry shared a laugh as Hermione ignored them and continued to inspect the magic of the Goblet and then the age line itself.

"Hermione, I would like to get some lunch before we have to go to Charms.." Harry said, stepping forward and putting a hand on her shoulder. "We can come back and look at the magic cup later. How about during our free period?" He suggested. Hermione frowned at his referring to the Goblet of Fire as just a magic cup but nodded at the chance to come back and study it uninterrupted.

At their table, the trio continued to discuss the Tournament, if not the Goblet itself. "What do you think they'll have as challenges?" Ron asked through a mouthful of one of Hogwarts famous impossibly large sandwiches, "I bet they'll have the champions fighting a Troll or a Manticore...something wicked like that.."

Harry shook his head, "I'd doubt it. That's what we're good at. A real challenge would be something that makes them have to think.." He grinned, "Maybe they'll get a car and bring it out and make them have to try and drive it.."

"Hey, we did alright when we drove to Hogwarts didn't we?" Ron said with a frown that turned into a grin, "Well, right up until we hit the Whomping Willow.." The boys both laughed at that while Hermione rolled her eyes. "Seriously though, are you planning on trying to get your name in?" He asked Harry, "You know, eternal fame and glory and a thousand galleons all that good stuff?"

"No." Harry said simply, then looking at the nearly disappointed look on Ron's face, he continued, "Every year someone or something has tried to kill me. Now, we have a tournament that was canceled for its death count and it just happens to be brought back while I'm here...I am not going within twenty feet of that thing for any reason at all." Harry said looking over at the Goblet watching as Cedric Diggory put his name in the cup while his friends watched. "Cedric put his name in, he can have it."

Harry wanted nothing more than a quiet year. He knew he wouldn't get it of course, from the Slytherin table, he saw Draco glaring at him. _He looks particularly upset today, his mom must have packed him the wrong scented shampoo..._ Harry thought with a chuckle, _or maybe it had to do with the letter I received this morning..._

Harry had opened the letter while Ron was distracted by his usual mountain of fried potatoes and eggs. It had been addressed to him by Narcissa Malfoy of all people.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I am writing to apologize for Draco's childish behavior towards you. He has not been acting in a manner appropriate for an Heir and I can assure you that I will be speaking with him in a separate letter. For now, I would like to formally state that tension between our family and yourself having nothing to do with any actions on my part._

 _I would like to apologize again in person. If you are amenable, I will come to the next Hogsmeade Weekend. Being formerly a Black, I have some knowledge of your family from my cousin Sirius' interactions with them and would be willing to discuss your family with you. Perhaps we could develop a friendship someday._

 _In any case, I remain_

 _Yours,_

 _Narcissa Malfoy_

Harry was still unsure about what to do with the letter. The idea of speaking with Narcissa Malfoy was strange enough, but she mentioned the possibility of becoming friends. _The same woman who looked at me like I was a clod of dirt at the World Cup wants to be my friend? I will believe that when Hippogriffs fly out of my pants._

 _Still though,_ Harry thought to himself, _there's no sense in being rude to her. I should at least see what she thinks she's going to get out of this. I can always send a message to Sirius later to discuss it with him..._

Scene Break

"You will be heading to Hogwarts with a small contingent of Aurors to act as additional security during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. As such, you will be responsible for the safety of the students and the reputation of the Ministry as a whole, and the DMLE in particular."

Tonks hadn't expected to be brought into the Department Heads office. Amelia Bones had given her a specific task, heading up security for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. She knew that Hogwarts at this time was a dangerous place. _Between the disappearance of a teacher in my seventh year, a series of petrifications the year after that, Sirius Black attacking Harry Potter-_

Harry Potter. For some reason, that name stuck in her mind. She'd only seen him at his Sorting, beyond that she'd been busy with her course load. She tried to remember that day.

 _A short boy with glasses, messy dark hair, bright green eyes._

 _Eyes burning with tears when he kissed her._

 _Hair she ran her fingers through as they made love._

 _Her son's eyes looking back at her with his shade of green._

" _ **Oblivate"**_

 _His handwriting in a letter addressed to her, asking her to be happy._

" _Tonks, I lo-"_

She shook her head, feeling a sting in her eyes. She blinked rapidly, earning a curious look from her boss. "Is something the matter Auror Tonks?" Amelia asked, "Is your new assignment boring you already?"

"N-no, ma'am. Just thinking about- it doesn't matter. I'll go to my desk and prepare to head to Hogwarts to meet with the Headmaster." Tonks said, rising from her chair and leaving the room.

At her desk, she began to think about those weird thoughts that had plagued her during her meeting. _Was it possible that Harry Potter was somehow the wizard in my dreams? It's ridiculous, there's no way...but then when I thought about him, why did it hit me all of a sudden like that? Shit...I don't know about dreams...before I leave I'll go talk to Hes, she was into Divination when we were at school..._ That made her feel better. Hestia was her closest friend at the Ministry, she'd been interested in the more esoteric subjects where Tonks had preferred Charms and Transfiguration. Neither had enjoyed Potions, though that was more the Professor than the subject. Post Hogwarts, Tonks had gotten very skilled at brewing certain potions. _Hangover Cure, in particular_ , she thought with a tiny smile.

She met Hestia in their usual spot at lunch. "Wotcher Hes," She said in way of greeting as she sat down beside the other witch. "Bacon sarnie, burn the bacon and chips, loads of brown sauce." She said to the plate before her, watching as her usual lunch on days that she'd had too many to drink appeared.

Hestia, eating a more sedate chicken sandwich looked over to her friend, "So, I hear congratulations are in order, Ms. Head of Security for the Tri-Wizard Tournament.." She grinned and took a sip from her glass of gillywater before continuing, "The gossips are already on about it...Dawlish is about to have kneazles that you got picked instead of him."

"I got picked because she thinks I can 'blend in'. During the challenges, I'll be hiding in the crowds in my old school robes. No one will suspect a student.." Tonks said, before rolling her eyes, "It's the usual nonsense, send the metamorphmagus to look like someone else, Morgana knows, it's not like I want to accomplish something on my own terms..."

Hestia snorted in a decidedly un-ladylike manner, "They are your terms Tonks, you're the only person in the entire Ministry who can do what you do. Everyone else has to use a potion or a spell. They're jealous." She put a friendly hand on her shoulder, "Now, you didn't just sit down and order your hangover special because of all that, what else is going on?"

Tonks sighed and took a bit of her sandwich, "It's stupid. I had a weird dream last night. I kept getting little flashes of memories that hadn't happened. In them, I was a right bitch to someone I don't even know. I rejected him when I wanted him, I slept with him and then ran away, and finally, I wiped his memories of me.." She took another bite and chewed morosely, "I've been trying to figure out who he was in my dream, but the only face that's been popping up makes no sense.."

Hestia frowned in thought, "Dreams of memories that didn't happen? That doesn't make sense. I tell you what, tonight I'll come over with my cards and we'll do a reading. Maybe we can figure this thing out for you.." That was a perfectly Hestia Jones answer: when in doubt, Tarot and drinking. The idea made Tonks grin.

"Sounds good Hes, I'll be at my flat after my meeting with Dumbledore." Lunch finished the two witches rose from their places and made their way on to finish the workday.

Scene Break

Narcissa had done as Lucius had demanded and sent a letter to Hogwarts addressed to Harry Potter. She'd also sent a second letter to Draco. That one had told him to behave himself around Harry Potter. She doubted he would do so, but it would make her task easier if her son was constantly antagonizing the boy. _Although, if he does then I would need to 'apologize' more often to him. I suppose that would work as a way in with him. Apologize, promise to do 'anything' to make it up to him..._

She rolled her eyes at the thought of seducing a fourth-year student. But it was what Lucius wanted and barring the sudden return of Sirius into wizarding society and the annulment of her marriage, she had to keep her husband, if not happy at least quiet. _This was not what I wanted out of my life..._ She thought miserably as she sat down in front of her vanity and began to brush her hair. _I thought Lucius was going to be different, that we might have a relationship a real one. But no, I married a man who was more interested in visiting his sister in a Knockturn tenement than in being with his wife..._

She had no illusions that her husband was faithful. She also had no real faith in the idea that it was his 'sister' he was visiting. _Damn it, I lost count..._ She frowned and began her ritual of one hundred strokes as her mind wandered. The Black sisters had been a force of nature during her childhood. But then things went bad. Bellatrix had been married to a man she hated, Andromeda vanished resurfacing with a muggleborn husband and a baby, and then there was Narcissa.

The only child to stay both in the family and out of Azkaban. There was only one other Black who could claim that, but no one knew what happened to cousin Regulus. His disappearance and the drastic change in her eldest sisters personality had led Narcissa to not fully trust the honeyed words of Voldemort.

 _Damn it..._ She began again. This wasn't normally so difficult. It was like meditation for her, a chance to calm her nerves. _I wouldn't have so many worries running through my mind if I'd married the right man...if Lucius had been strong enough to be his own man and not a puppet like his father._ A strong man was hard to find, but what if she made her own? Suddenly the idea of seducing Harry Potter wasn't as unpalatable. She had two years before he was at the age of consent in magical Britain. Two years she could use to steer him towards the proper path. She smiled then, _I'll use the good perfume when I see him at Hogsmeade..._

Scene Break

Fleur sat in the library of Beauxbatons with her cousin and best friend Evangeline Lalaurie. "Papa says that we will be sending a support team of Aurors to Hogwarts to work with the British and Bulgarian ones. I've submitted my name, will you?" She asked quietly as the pair worked on their arithmancy essays.

"I think so if I do, I would like to send a letter to my father's cousin Molly. It would be nice to meet the Prewett side of the family. I haven't seen any of them since we came to visit when the twins were born." Evangeline replied. Her father had been born a Prewett but had never expressed magic. When his parents began discussing obliviation and sending him to live in the muggle world, he'd ran away. That had led him to Paris and her mother Genevieve.

Fleur smirked, "Do you still have a crush on your cousin William?" she teased. Evangeline sputtered a denial much to Fleur's amusement. The girls went back to studying, silence overtaking them and their thoughts playing in their brains.

For Fleur, it was her dream during the summer that played havoc inside her mind. Who had he been? Why did she bond with him and then reject that bond? She'd asked her mother, carefully, about Veela bonds and what happens if a Veela rejects her bondmate.

It hadn't been pleasant. A Veela who rejected her lover would slowly wither and fade. In her dream, she had done that. But why? Why would she reject someone whom her very soul had pined for? It didn't make sense to her. _If I find that man I will be by his side no matter what stupid fears I have in my mind._ She swore to herself.

Their time in the library passed swiftly enough. Finally, at the end of their free period, Fleur and Evangeline made their way to the Headmistresses office. There on the door was the parchment bearing the names of the students who wished to travel to Hogwarts. Fleur watched her cousin scratch her name onto the paper underneath her own. "There we are Evangeline, may the best witch win." She said with a grin.

Evangeline returned it, "I plan to." Laughing, the pair adjourned to their dormitories.

Scene Break

Bellatrix sat in her cell, for the first time in years she felt as if her mind was clear. Even the Dementors had been unable to change that, though not for lack of trying. She saw the same memories as always, an unwilling Bellatrix being forced, practically at wandpoint, to sign her name on the marriage contract, being forced to torture Frank and Alice Longbottom, but there had been a new memory. One she didn't recognize.

 _She saw herself standing before a younger witch that looked suspiciously familiar, "You're Andi's daughter aren't you?" She said, both witches holding wands on the other._

" _I'm not here to play family reunion, Lestrange." The other woman hissed. Bellatrix snarled and the fight began. Bellatrix was amazed by how quickly the other witch moved in battle._

" _You're definitely Andi's daughter. She used that same move against me when we'd practice...too bad she never figured out the counter." Bellatrix said shooting a low aimed petrification charm at the girl._

" _I could kill you." She said as she knelt beside her only niece, "It wouldn't take much and I've killed family before. I killed Sirius Black, I even killed," here, Bellatrix leaned in closer, "Auntie Walburga for casting my sister from the family." She grinned at the still form, "I've watched you, Nymphadora Tonks. I know you have a baby. I know that his father is here, fighting the Dark Lord. He'll lose you know..he'll lose and you and that baby will be all alone."_

 _Bellatrix rose and went to fight someone else, before she left she turned back, "The charm will fade in an hour or so. I'd make sure you ran away, get your baby, get Andi and never come back to Britain."_

 _With that, Bellatrix vanished into the fighting, to die at the wand of Molly Weasley._

Bellatrix didn't understand that how a memory could exist that hadn't happened. Sirius was still alive, she was still in Azkaban so how would she have killed him. None of it made sense, but then considering everyone considered her insane, that wasn't a surprise.

She needed to figure out what was happening to her. _Everything seemed to happen after I had that strange dream where I died._ The Dementors came again, showing her the torture of the Longbottoms this time. Bellatrix regretted what she'd been forced to do, but for someone reason, she didn't feel as drained as she had before.

In fact, Bellatrix seemed nearly unfazed. A fact that disturbed the guard for her floor. Bellatrix looked across from her cell. Rodolphus was in the fetal position screaming, just like his brother Rabastan. Why was she so unaffected?

"It's because they are mine." A strangely familiar voice whispered in her ear, "They are mine and will not feed on you again. You've got a job to do Bellatrix, He is rising again. You need to warn Amelia Bones and only Amelia Bones. No one else will listen to you. Tell her that he is preparing to interfere with the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Then the voice was gone and Bellatrix wasn't sure if she'd heard it, or if she had finally snapped completely. The idea of finally losing her sanity had a perverse amusement to it and she giggled, a sound that seemed to terrify the Auror standing by the door enough that he cast a silencing charm upon her. "You've finally snapped Lestrange. I'm going to get the warden to convince Madam Bones to have you Kissed."

Bellatrix watched the guard rotation change and sat on her cot. _Would this be how Bones comes to see me?_ She wondered, thinking back to the voice she'd thought a figment of her imagination.


	3. Chapter 3

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Three. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Three: Fish Stew, a Baby, a Brother, and a Report

Harry was sitting with Ron and Hermione when the delegations from the two schools came in. Like the other students, he clapped politely as they welcomed the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. _I am still mad that there won't be Quidditch this year and holy Merlin is that-_

"That's Viktor Krum!" Ron said in a near whisper of absolute awe. Others at different tables repeated those words, and not all of them quite as quietly as Ron had. When the Durmstrang students sat with the Slytherins, Harry was certain that Ron would begin crying.

He felt something strange when the students from Beauxbatons arrived. One of them, a witch with hair so blonde that it was nearly silver, seemed familiar to him somehow. He wasn't sure why, but it felt as if he knew her already.

Fleur didn't know why she was felt a connection to the dark haired boy at the Gryffindor table. She knew who he was once she focused on him, everyone in the wizarding world knew who Harry Potter was. But this wasn't just knowing the name. This was seeing him in person, _should I ask for his autograph? I could send it to Gabrielle, she would love getting a note from the hero of her storybooks._ She thought. Like most children growing up in the post Voldemort world, Gabrielle had a few unofficial Harry Potter storybooks. Her favorite being 'Harry Potter and the littlest Giant'.

There was something though, a thrumming in her soul that puzzled her. She decided that the best thing to do at the moment was to ignore it and figure it out later. _Still..._ She thought as she rose from her spot at the Ravenclaw table and walked towards the scarlet and gold colored tablecloth of the Gryffindor table.

"Excuse me, are you wanting the bouillabaisse?" She asked, looking specifically at Harry when she asked. Up close, she could better see his eyes. _They are very green..._ She thought as those green eyes brought a flicker of something, whether dream or something else she couldn't say.

 _Harry watched her during the ball. He seemed to want to ask her to dance, but each time he gathered the courage, something would happen and his face would drop. 'Maybe I should give him a break' she thought to herself as she danced with her current partner, Roger something-or-other she thought._

 _Rogers hands were far too familiar for dancing, she noted as she moved them again to her waist. From the corner of her eye, she saw Harry glaring. Roger began to lead her out towards the carriages. Not wanting to cause a scene, she went with him, knowing that she could always scorch his trousers if he tried anything._

 _He didn't get the chance. Harry had apparently followed them out, when Roger put his hand on her backside again, Harry shoved him away from her._

Fleur blinked, she took the stew from the table. Her hand brushed Harry's and she shuddered very slightly. When she got back to the table, she sat beside her cousin and began to converse in rapid French.

"There is something strange going on, every time I look at Harry Potter, I get a shock or something, it's like the dream I had over the summer." She said to Evangeline.

The other witch laughed softly, "Maybe he's the one you were dreaming of. Maybe Fate was giving you a warning that you were meant to be with him.." She teased her cousin before taking some of the fish stew from the serving bowl.

Scene Break

Tonks sat in her flat, this was her off day. She was looking forward to some rest before she began her time at Hogwarts. _Fucks sake, I didn't want to go back to that place..._ She thought as she leaned back in her chair. Hestia would be over soon. She'd had to reschedule their Divination/Getting drunk time to today, something had came up and Hestia had needed the time for her own work.

She'd seen more 'flashes' as she'd begun calling them. Images of herself older, loving the older version of Harry Potter desperately, but being unable to make it work. The worst dream had been the one that took place immediately after he'd asked her out.

 _Molly Weasley was supposed to be her friend. That's what she called the thing she was doing now 'friendly advice'. It didn't feel friendly. In fact, it felt like she was trying to warn Tonks off of something she felt belonged to someone else._

" _He's too young for you. Imagine what would happen if someone found out." Molly said, looking oddly close to drawing her wand on Tonks._

" _Relax Molly, it's not as if we're going to suddenly decide that we can't live without each other. It's just some harmless fun. He's had such a young time. First there was the tournament and Cedric Diggory dying in front of him. Then Sirius going through the Veil..he just needs someone to help him feel better." Tonks said, putting her hands up to try and calm the older woman. She had liked the little smile Harry had given her when she'd said yes. It was different than Remus. Remus always acted like he was talking to her against his better judgment. "Besides, what's so bad if it did work out? We just keep everything about the waist for a couple of years and everyone's happy."_

" _The happiest people, in that case, would be the writers at Witch Weekly or the Daily Prophet," Molly told her still frowning. "You're six years older than him."_

" _Remus is twelve years older than me and I didn't hear you telling him that it was too scandalous, so what's different this time?" Tonks had a feeling she knew the answer. Molly was convinced that Harry and Ginny were meant to be together. Despite the two being in different years and not actually spending that much time together._

" _That's different. You are both adults. Harry is a child." Molly said, defending her argument with the what she thought was an unbeatable point._

" _Yeah, he's underage right now. Except that he's a legal adult. He's been one ever since the tournament. Only of age wizards could compete and thanks to the fake Moody, Harry was considered of age." Tonks replied, "Seriously though, this is about Ginny isn't it? You want those two together and so you're trying to talk me out of it so your daughter gets the hero."_

" _It's not that." Molly said, "It's also your job. What would happen if Madam Bones were to find out that you were going out with an only technically of age Harry Potter?"_

 _Tonks wondered for a moment if Molly was threatening her. But the question was a fair one. The short answer is she'd be fired at best and in Azkaban at worst. That niggling detail ate at her for the rest of the night._

Tonks felt the wards thud, telling her that Hestia was at the door. Sure enough, there was a soft knock and a call of "Tonks, are you in?" She rose from her chair, crossing the floor so that she could open the door for her friend.

"Wotcher Hes." Tonks said in greeting as she stepped aside. Hestia had her usual deck of Tarot cards in her hand, but also a bag from a muggle liquor store.

Looking at the bag, Hestia smiled, "This is not a night for breathing fire. This is a night for fruity drinks with near-lethal amounts of alcohol and the two us trying to figure out what exactly is up between you and Harry Potter."

And so the mixology began. Hestia and Tonks each added splashes of various liquors into their glasses before settling in at the table. Hestia began to draw the cards, pausing for a sip of her cocktail before speaking. "Okay, this says that you are bound by the past. So maybe it's because your cousin is his godfather?" Hestia asked.

Tonks shook her head, "None of the dreams have really mentioned Sirius. Well, I mean a few have, but it's always been in the background." Hestia nodded, when she'd been unable to come and see her when they'd originally planned it, Tonks had sent her a list of the dreams.

"Hmm, now this card says the two of you will be family. Which is strange because you are family..." Hestia frowned, "Unless it's that baby you saw..."

 _Teddy..._ Tonks had felt the strongest about that part of her dreams. Even in the waking world, she could see that little baby in her arms. She smiled without knowing it, imagining holding him and looking into those green eyes.

Hestia noticed and smirked, "So, you definitely want the baby I take it. In that case, who gives a toss about those dreams? Just take your time, wait until he's legal and that'll be that." She wanted her friend to be happy. _Morgana knows that she's the only person I know with worse dating luck than me. Sometimes it feels like no one knows who I am..._

Scene Break

It was the Hogsmeade weekend and against his better judgment, Harry was going to meet with Narcissa Malfoy. He'd already split from Hermione and Ron, telling them that he would meet them at Honeydukes later and made his way to the Three Broomsticks.

Upon entering, Madam Rosmerta motioned him towards a private booth at the back. Sitting there, making the old and worn booth look like a throne was Narcissa Malfoy. She looked just as well put together as she had when Harry had first met her at the World Cup. She gave him a small smile and motioned for him to sit down, "Hello Heir Potter..." She said, victory flashing in her eyes as she noticed the confusion in his own.

"I'm not sure what you mean ma'am..." Harry began. He had been here for three seconds and he was already lost like Ron's homework. _What does she mean Heir Potter?_ Harry was aware, vaguely, that when he came of age he would have full control over his family vault. _After all, that's what a family vault is right? It's the vault that holds the family's treasures..._

"I'm sure you don't." She said, putting a gentle touch to her voice, "You are the Heir to House Potter. Your father was the last Potter before you came into the world and saved us from the Dark Lord. Ergo, everything that goes with the Potter name is yours. That would be quite a lot if I'm not misremembering what I heard from my father." Here she smiled with a teasing wink, "You and Draco could have been brothers if he'd had his way. He wanted to arrange a marriage between myself and James Potter. Mother wouldn't hear of it of course, that is why I ended up married to Lucius."

 _Draco Malfoy as my brother? Oh no no no no no no no no no please no._ Harry couldn't help the shudder of revulsion that overtook him. Narcissa noticed the gesture. For a moment anger flooded into her as Harry insulted her son. _Calm yourself Narcissa. Remember the plan. Harry will have plenty of time to come to grips with Draco when Draco is his step son._

"Is the idea of your father and I being together completely distasteful to you Heir Potter?" Narcissa asked evenly, "I will admit that Draco has not been the most gracious towards you but-"

Harry stopped her, "Let's start with him insulting the first friend I'd ever made. Then he steals Neville's rememberall. Then there's all the times he's called Hermione a mudblood." He looked at her, "Your son has been nothing but a bigot and a bully since the day I met him."

"Draco has perhaps too much of his fathers nature in him." Narcissa suggested, "Lucius does not allow dissent at home, so I am unable to mitigate his influence. Were I still Narcissa Black, I can assure you there would be a very different Draco Malfoy at Hogwarts." It was a lie, but it was a good one to work with for now. _Let Harry think that the key to changing how Draco acts is me becoming a Black again. At any rate, perhaps if Harry thinks it will hurt Draco he will be more eager to do it._

"Yeah, your husband. He tried to kill Ginny Weasley with a cursed diary. That's how I learned that if you get bitten by a basilisk, you'd better be friends with a phoenix." Harry said, drawing his sleeve back and showing her the scar on his arm. Without meaning to, Narcissa touched his arm, tracing the scar briefly before looking into his eyes.

"The 'Heir of Slytherin' unpleasantness...yes. I remember that, that was how Lucius lost his Elf." Narcissa said quietly, she saw the flash of anger in Harry's eyes and held her hand up, "I suppose near tragedy would be a better choice of phrase since several students including your Miss Granger were petrified. In any event, Lucius is a very slippery fellow, it's rather difficult for someone to catch him in his little schemes. Much as I cannot do anything to circumvent my husbands wishes regarding Draco, I would not be able to assist in snaring my dear husband in his own web. Family bonds you know..." Internally, Narcissa smiled as she put a less subtle hint in her next statement, "Again, were I Narcissa Black, I could do whatever my Lord Black wished in regards to Lucius and Draco's actions."

"Who is Lord Black?" Harry asked.

Narcissa pretended to think for a moment, "Considering the members of our family that are dead or disowned. It would most likely be my cousin Sirius. If he were to go to Gringotts and claim the Black family Headship, he would be capable of doing quite a lot. For an example, he could use Gringotts private courier service to send an owl to Madam Bones and request that she look up his trial or rather lack of one."

Scene Break

Amelia Bones found the report on her desk nearly unbelievable. The Dementors were no longer affecting Bellatrix Lestrange. She frowned as she re-read the paper, trying to make some sense of it. _The only time a Dementor ignores a human is once they've had their soul sucked out. But seeing as she's conscious and alert I doubt that is the case. I don't get this..._ She sighed and stood from her chair, stretching her back with a groan.

Amelia had been proud to take this job when it was offered to her shortly after the defeat of Voldemort. But slowly and surely she found the constraints of bureaucracy were growing worse and worse to deal with.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

She remembered being Head Auror. She felt like she was making a difference. Here she just made orders and listened to idiots complain about how her order that all paperwork had to be written by hand and not with an auto-quill made things too difficult.

 _Idiots. We have to do our jobs the correct way, not the easy way._

She was annoyed by the way the Ministry itself worked. Fudge sent his cronies to give his orders instead of speaking face to face. _Only people he sees personally are the ones giving 'donations' to the Ministry..._

She twisted her back, groaning softly as she felt the knots in her spine pop. She slowly rubbed her lower back, digging her thumbs into the sweet spot in the small of her back. She needed to get back to work. _Apparently Mrs Lestrange wants a meeting with me. I'll head to Azkaban sometime next week. I'm sure whatever dreadfully important reason she has to speak to me can hold until then._


	4. Chapter 4

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Four. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Four: Tri-Wizard but Four Champions?

Harry felt like time had stood still. _My name came out of the Goblet? But how? I didn't put my name in..._ In a daze, he looked over to Hermione who seemed as stunned as he was. She pushed him to his feet, "Go on, Dumbledore will figure it out..." She said as Harry numbly walked towards the door leading to the other champions.

Fleur was puzzled by the appearance of the younger wizard, but not, as she would later muse, as surprised as she should have been. "Are they wanting us back?" She asked him, noting the dazed look in his eye. _Most likely the Allure..._ She thought with some annoyance.

"No, it's not that.." He said, "Somehow I-"

"And here he is, our fourth Champion!" Ludo Bagman beamed as he slapped his hand onto Harry's shoulder, "We aren't sure how it happened, but Mr. Potter's name came out of the Goblet!"

"Then he put it in!" Madame Maxime said furiously.

"Or had someone put it in for him." Added Karkaroff.

Dumbledore entered the room, "Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet?" he asked calmly. Harry shook his head and Dumbledore continued, "Did you ask anyone to do it for you?"

"No, sir," Harry replied, shaking his head.

"He is lying!" Spat Maxime.

Harry turned to the much taller woman, "I am not! I didn't put my name in the Goblet! You can ask my friends, I stayed as far from it as I could!"

"If that is the case, he could simply give an Oath to that effect." Fleur said, interrupting the argument, "Just hold your wand and state that you swear on your magic that you did not put your name in the Goblet." _Why are they so convinced that someone so young would put their name in the Goblet of Fire?_ She wondered as Harry lifted his wand.

"I, Harry James Potter, swear on my magic that I did not put my name in the Goblet, and I didn't ask anyone to do that," Harry said, the tip of his wand glowing as magic itself accepted his oath.

"Now, cast the first spell you can think of, Lumos for example." Fleur instructed him, watching as his lighting charm worked, "Seeing as the spell worked, I'd say that he did not enter his name."

"Indeed he did not, Miss Delacour." Dumbledore said, "However, the fact remains that his name came out. That signifies a binding magical contract. Harry must compete, or risk losing his magic." Dumbledore looked over to Professor Moody, who had come in with him, "Do you have any theories Alastor?"

"It would be a powerful Confundus that made the Goblet forget there are only three schools. More powerful than a student would be capable of...seems to me that someone wanted Mr. Potter here to compete, in the hopes that he dies." The false eye danced in its socket as Moody looked at the Durmstrang Headmaster, "Karkaroff, you'd know your way around plots of murder wouldn't you?"

"I have no idea what you are referring to Professor." Karkaroff said quickly, quicker than Harry thought was normal, "However, if someone is that intent on the death of Harry Potter, perhaps you should look internally before coming to my school." With that, the Headmaster of Durmstrang turned and went to stand beside Krum.

Harry vaguely remembered being given the instructions for the date of the first challenge as he took himself up to the Gryffindor tower. The noise that greeted him was enough to shake him from his daze.

"Alright, let's get this over with. I only want to say this once, after that anyone who asks me how I did it is getting punched." Harry said, irritation coloring his features, "I did not put my name in the Goblet. I don't know who did. Professor Moody said it's probably someone trying to kill me. Given that someone or something has tried to kill me every other year, I'm not surprised and you shouldn't be either."

For the first time since he hard his name in the Great Hall, Harry felt the hint of a smile as he looked at the faces of his Housemates, "I gave a magical Oath that I didn't do it with plenty of witnesses. If you don't believe me about that, then ask Cedric. Now I'm going upstairs." He did just that, brushing between Seamus and Dean as he made his way upstairs.

Ron was sitting there, a stiff grin on his face, "Congratulations, so how'd you do it?" Harry didn't punch Ron. Not because he didn't want to punch him, he did. He wanted to punch his supposed best mate for believing him. But he didn't. Harry didn't have that many friends and he didn't want to lose the ones he did have.

"I didn't enter. I even gave an Oath on my magic that I didn't do it." Harry said, watching the tips of Ron's ears go red and bracing himself for the argument that was coming.

Downstairs Hermione tried to make sense of things, _Harry said he didn't enter. But his name couldn't come out without it being put in. He had to have done it...maybe he doesn't remember it being done. What if someone put him under a curse? I'll talk to him tomorrow, maybe I can figure out a counter curse..._

Scene Break

Tonks made her report for Madam Bones. She was not looking forward to sending it, _How do you tell your boss that the first official day of the Tournament hasn't ended and you've already got a fourteen-year-old fourth champion?_ She sighed heavily and put her quill down. _Thank fuck I've got a room here at Hogwarts. I don't particularly like the idea of trying to blend in as a student and hoof it back to Hogwarts from the village every morning. I know students aren't the most observant, but someone would notice something..._

She grumbled as she began to write again. As she did though, her thoughts went back to Harry. She'd had another flash of him, the dreams weren't always bad. She grinned as she thought about one in particular,

 _Tonks and Harry were at her mother's house. Andromeda chided her daughter about her hair color of the day being bright neon purple. She'd been ready for an argument but Harry had excused himself to the restroom. When he returned with bright pink hair, Andromeda had rubbed her temples in frustration but said nothing._

" _If your husband-" Andromeda said before being cut off by her daughter._

" _Remus isn't here. He's never here. He's always off trying to make deals with the packs to keep them out of you-know-who's hands." Tonks said, her hair darkening in frustration. Harry put his hand on her shoulder, for a moment their eyes met and Tonks saw an image of what could have happened if she'd been braver._

Tonks blinked and continued with her report. Finding its contents as satisfactory as they were going to be given the bomb she was sending, she snapped her fingers summoning one of the Hogwarts elves. "Take this to the Owlery and make sure it goes to Madam Bones of the DMLE please." She said handing the letter over.

Dobby nodded and vanished into the Owlery. As he did so, he happened to notice the name of Harry Potter on the envelope. _To: Madam Bones, Re: Tri-Wiz and H. Potter._ The little elves eyes boggled, _The great Harry Potter is in danger at Hogwarts! Dobby must find a way to help his friend!_

The letter made its way towards London, but Dobby had no time to watch it leave. He had to see Harry and do whatever it takes to make sure his hero survived this.

Scene Break

Fleur didn't understand why she helped Harry. Back in her quarters she was pacing, trying to make sense of things. _He's too young for this...that has to be it. It's not those stupid dreams, it isn't..it can't be..._

 _But why did I see him looking so helpless and the only thing I could think to do is to help him?_ It wasn't the only thing, but she rather thought the idea of embracing him would have been considered inappropriate.

But she had wanted to embrace him. That was the thing she hated the most. Ever since she first saw him at the table she'd wanted to be with him. Before that, she hadn't had a name for the wizard in her dreams. Now she had a name.

 _Harry Potter. No, that can't work. He's too young, too famous, and far too British. My mother and father would have fits. Gabbi though, she would hate it for a different reason. Her hero, the boyfriend of her sister and not of her? I would end up taking a fireball from her the moment she could produce one..._

There was a soft knock at the door, Fleur opened it to reveal her cousin. Evangeline stepped inside, "So, I heard from Clement that you and Madame got into a row over the surprise addition to the Tournament..." She began, "Any truth to it?"

Fleur nodded miserably, "I helped him to provide an Oath that he didn't enter the tournament. She took that to mean I was accusing her of lying about him lying. So, I'm stuck in my room barring classes or meals for the next week." She flopped back onto her bed, shifting so that her cousin had room, "What have I missed?"

"Clement and Moreau are both convinced that he managed to fake an Oath because obviously, a fourteen-year-old is strong enough to lie to magic itself." Evangeline rolled her eyes, "Besides that, I sent a letter to my parents to let them I know that I didn't make it in, but you did." She grinned, "Knowing Dad, he will want to buy me something nice to make me feel better, I'm thinking a racing broom this time..." Peter Lalaurie, formerly Peter Prewett, had always given his only daughter presents whenever she was depressed. It might not have been the healthiest way to deal with issues, but Evangeline would note that it did tend to take the sting out of life's little disappointments.

"That's not how you are supposed to respond to a kind gesture you know..." Fleur said quietly. She liked Peter, always had since the first time she could remember his face. He was not the kind of wizard you would expect to be married into a Veela family at all. He was a squib who'd run away from home. He and Genevieve had met at a cafe in Magical Paris where he'd been playing the piano for tips.

Evangeline chuckled, "Dad likes buying me things. Mom lets him. I like being bought things. So, as long as everyone involved in the arrangement is happy, who cares how I'm supposed to respond?" She was spoiled, and she knew it. Still, she wasn't malicious, she would never ask for more than her parents could afford. _It's called the Lalaurie fortune for a reason, we are rich, so why not enjoy it?_

Scene Break

The Daily Prophet had arrived at Malfoy Manor. Narcissa looked at the headline with interest, _Hmm...The-Boy-who-lived is named Fourth Champion of a three wizard tournament? I'll schedule another visit to Hogsmeade, see how he feels about it..._ She set the paper down and went to her wardrobe. Pulling the doors open, she began to look through her clothes, deciding on what she would wear today.

 _Hmm...perhaps the green today. Lucius will be busy all day with that oaf Fudge, so he won't be here to make a sour face when I dress in a color that isn't black..._ She nodded to herself and pulled a green dress from the wardrobe. She frowned as she began to unbutton it with a flick of her wand, _I used to have a House Elf that could do this for me, but Lucius was an idiot as usual and freed him. Knowing Potter, he probably refused to bind the thing, so who knows where it is now..._

Narcissa Malfoy did not pretend to be a good person. She'd long ago had the goodness beaten out of her through her marriage to Lucius. She'd seen her family destroyed by the schemes of Walburga Black. Andromeda left the family, Bellatrix was forced into a contract with a man she loathed, and Narcissa? She'd been the idiot who thought at the time that the pretty words and pretty face of Lucius Malfoy could lead her to happiness.

It did not.

She hated her husband. She hated her life. Thanks to her husbands greed, she had a way out. _All I have to do is present a suitably sympathetic ear and Potter will convince Sirius to make me a Black again...then I stay close to him and I'm sure I can convince Potter to make me the Lady Potter..._ She grinned as she finished dressing. A thought crept into her mind, _Only of age wizards and witches can enter a binding magical contract. I may need to step up my plans..._

The idea of arranging the marriage between herself and someone as young as Harry should have disturbed her, even if only slightly. But it didn't. She saw this as a chance to make amends to herself for the life she'd been forced to live.

Scene Break

Amelia saw it for herself, the Dementors completely avoided Bellatrix Lestrange. Even as they tormented her husband and brother in law. She was unsure as to why though. Bellatrix sat on a stool in her cell looking at the DMLE Director with surprisingly sane eyes. "Madam Bones." She said evenly.

"Lestrange." Amelia replied, seeing a slight wince come across the other witches features, "I understand you wanted to speak with me." She said coming to stand in front of the bars.

"The Dark Lord is planning something. It will be to do with the Tournament. He is still alive and preparing to take his vengeance on our world." Bellatrix said quietly, "I don't know what his plans are specifically, but I know they involve the Tournament and Harry Potter."

"How do you know this?" Amelia asked her, internally though, she was deeply distressed. _If he is alive somehow, then Hogwarts will be compromised. I know Fudge won't allow any more Aurors than we have. I'll have to figure out a workaround..._

Amelia didn't like having to go around her bosses back, but Cornelius Fudge was neither a good man nor a smart one. He was however extremely greedy and if the 'former' Death Eaters had him in their pockets, as she believed, then he would be useless at best and a threat at worst.

"I saw a vision." Bellatrix said, "I saw him speaking with Peter Pettigrew."

"Pettigrew is dead. Sirius Black murdered him and twelve muggles." Amelia said, pausing when Bellatrix shook her head.

"You think little of your former lover. Sirius Black couldn't betray the Potters. He was the boy's Godfather. The Oath he would have given on that day would have forced him to act on his Godsons best interests." Bellatrix had known about the relationship between Amelia and Sirius. After Marlene McKinnon had broken it off with Sirius, he and Amelia had rekindled the relationship they'd had before her graduation from Hogwarts.

 _If Sirius is innocent of the charges..._ Amelia had a lot to work out. She rose, "I will think about what you've told me."

"Madam Bones, a favor?" Bellatrix said quietly, her eyes intense once more, "Should my information prove useful, either in dealing with the Dark Lord's return or in clearing the name of my cousin, would you kindly kill my husband and his brother for me? I don't know what broke the bonds of my marriage contract, but I am glad to be rid of it and would be very glad to be rid of them..."


	5. Chapter 5

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Five. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Five: Try not to let him die, would you?

Harry didn't know what to do. Ron wasn't speaking to him, _but that's par for the course. Ron gets mad at me if I get a slightly larger rasher of bacon than he does..._ It was Hermione that really puzzled him. _She's so convinced that I must have put my name in and either forgot or had someone cast a spell on me..._

Everyone was avoiding him, as usual. Hufflepuff thought he was cheating their star student, Ravenclaw thought he was a glory hog, and Slytherin just had an excuse. Gryffindor House, his House, were all convinced that he really did put his name in and was just being modest.

That was how Harry found himself the next morning sitting at the bank of the Black Lake alone with his thoughts. He did not know that he was being watched.

Tonks watched him from the window of her quarters. _He looks so lonely..._ She felt her heart break for the fourteen-year-old boy. Her mind made up, she made her way out of her quarters and down towards the front doors of the castle.

Fleur, too, watched him. Unlike Tonks, she still wasn't ready to approach him again. She'd seen a strange thing in her dreams the previous night, she'd seen him watching a cottage in the middle of a rainstorm.

 _Her brother in law and his 'just friend' had arrived looking pale and bruised. But no Harry. He was with them, they promised her. He had gotten them here with the help of the House Elf._

 _Where was he?_

 _Even now when she couldn't have him, she knew she needed to see him. Even with as bad as it would hurt knowing she'd pushed him away, she craved seeing him again._

 _The rains began, outside of her little cottage she shared with her husband, she thought she saw him watching from the treeline. She rested her hand against the glass. If she were stronger, she would rush outside, and embrace him. Kissing him in the middle of the storm and begging him to forgive her._

 _Instead, she just cries as she watches him sink into the forest._

Fleur didn't understand any of the visions she'd had. She understood the gist of it. She'd obviously been dreaming of a neglected bond between herself and Harry Potter for some reason, but why?

She shook her head and turned from the window. She had to begin reviewing her spells for whatever was to come.

Tonks made it to the Great Hall in time to see that Harry had come back into the Castle. He stood there talking to Professor McGonagall about something. Tonks watched as McGonagall nodded and then walked away with Harry towards Gryffindor Tower.

 _I've got to see what's going on..._ She thought to herself as she followed them as quietly as she could. McGonagall was one of the few that knew she was here, but she didn't want Harry to know that she wasn't just a student. Not yet.

"I didn't know that you played Mr. Potter." McGonagall said as they turned the corner. Tonks had managed to catch the conversation now. _I wonder what it is he can play..._ She thought.

"I learned when my aunt and uncle would take my cousin out for a vacation. They'd leave me with a neighbor and she would teach me." Harry replied, not noticing the person following them.

"I'll have it ready for you shortly, Mr. Potter. Until then, please try not to let the other students get to you. The other Heads of House have been instructed to let the students know about your Oath. Hopefully, it will do what is needed." McGonagall said, though the words sounded hollow even to her.

Harry chuckled softly, mirthlessly, "It won't. It never does any good. Every year something happens and every year every student here baring Hermione and maybe Neville, Fred, George and Ginny, are convinced that I'm the worst thing since Voldemort..." McGonagall wanted to argue against it, but she knew that he was right. How many times had she went to Albus to try and convince him that his plan to prepare Harry for the inevitable return of Voldemort was just robbing the boy of having any form of a normal life. _If James and Lily knew what I've been a party to...I doubt they would ever forgive me..._

Scene Break

Fleur tried to study. She really did. But she was distracted today. _This is idiotic..._ She thought as she slammed her book shut and stood up. _I will talk to him. I won't feel a connection and then I will be able to move on and concentrate..._ Her thoughts were clearer once the decision was made, she felt somewhat better as she left the carriages and made her way to the Castle.

She remembered Harry's robes had red and gold in the trim. Spotting another student wearing the same colored robes she stopped, "Pardon," She said, "Can you tell me where I might find Harry Potter?"

Hermione looked puzzled that the Beauxbatons champion was looking for Harry, "He's probably in our Common Room, I can go check for you if you'd like.." She turned away, hearing the other girl following behind her, Hermione frowned, "You won't be able to get into our Common Room..."

"Then I will wait outside, I need to speak with him," Fleur replied. _Perhaps she is his girlfriend? That would explain why her voice became so cold when she realized I was following her._

There was music coming from the Gryffindor Common Room, _Piano music? Where's it coming from?_ Hermione wondered. She saw a few other students milling about the portrait of the Fat Lady, listening to the music that wafted through the hallway. "Excuse me," Hermione said, brushing past a Hufflepuff student as she made her way to the portrait and entered the room.

Tonks, having just been pushed aside by Hermione, caught a glimpse of Harry sitting at a piano, _This was what he'd learned at Mrs. Figg's house...he can play the piano!_ Suddenly she saw a brief flash of an older Harry, playing the piano at her mother's house for the baby she'd seen in her dreams. The one that, if she believed her dream was a sign, was his son.

Hermione was shocked, _I didn't know he could play the piano! He never told me, why wouldn't he tell me something like this? I've asked him about his hobbies before, I'm sure of it...I mean, I know I've read his unofficial biography, strictly to fact check, but it didn't have this in it either..._

Harry was for the first time since his name came out, feeling some level of peace. He hadn't known that the piano would speak to him like it did. But for this moment, he was extremely grateful for it. When he played, he felt as if he was in another place, far removed from the stresses of his life. He let his mind run free as he played.

 _Harry sat at the piano smiling. He played for the older woman and the baby he knew was his son...no his godson. Teddy was just his godson, no matter how it feels when he holds him._

 _He knew she was there, he could feel her standing at the corner. It hurt, every time he was near her, it felt like his heart would burst. But, he could help her this way. That was what mattered._

" _I found him." He said softly, not turning from the piano as he continued to play for Teddy and Andromeda._

" _Where?" Tonks asked him quietly, for the first time, her hair changed from a dull brown to a soft reddish color._

" _He came to me. Wanted to help Ron, Hermione, and I on our search..." He smiled sadly, "I almost punched him. I told him that he had a baby that needed him...had a wife that needs him."_

 _Tonks looked at him as if her heart was going to break. Harry knew the feeling, he felt it daily now it seemed. "Don't worry, he'll be home soon...Teddy will have his father, I promise you."_

Harry was not sure where that thought came from, or who any of those people were. His playing had changed, it had become the song he'd heard in the dream.

Outside of the Common Room, Tonks could hear the faint strains. It was the same music from her own daydream. _But how?_ She would have to send a message to Hestia and arrange another meeting.

Scene Break

It was the next Hogsmeade Weekend and Harry found himself at the same table as he had before talking with Narcissa Malfoy once again. This time, there was something different about the Lady Malfoy. Harry couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something different in the way she carried herself today. _Maybe it's her hair? No, it looks the same...maybe it's some new make up?_

 _Good, it seems the perfume is working..._ Amortentia laced perfumes were common among wizarding ladies. Nothing too strong, nothing that could cause an incident in public, just enough that it keeps his eyes locked on hers. _Actual seduction will be easy, after all he may now be considered an adult, but mentally and especially hormone-wise, he's still a teenager..._ She hid the smirk behind an actual smile, "I'm glad you agreed to see me again, Harry." She liked using his first name. For one, it seemed to unsettle him very slightly, he was used to adults calling him 'Mr. Potter' or 'Potter', hearing an adult call him 'Harry' would keep him from being too sharp at the moment. For her plan to work, she needed him unfocused.

"I was hoping to see you again, I wanted to see how you were doing." She said quietly, putting a cool, slim hand over his. "Draco sent a letter home telling us that you cheated your way into the Tournament, but I don't believe him. You never seem to go out of your way for danger..." She squeezed his hand gently, "There are a number of changes to your life thanks to the Tournament. Your status, example..."

"My status, what d'you mean?" Harry asked her, "I'm still the same person. I'm just being forced to compete against my will."

She allowed a smirk, "That's not what I mean exactly. You are, as of the choosing, an adult in the eyes of the Ministry. After all, only of age witches or wizards can compete." She leaned in, "You control your destiny now, Harry. You can claim your heritage as the Head of House Potter, you can claim the Potter Manor and never be told what to do, or who to see. There are many who would give anything for that sort of freedom..."

 _Freedom from the Dursleys?_ That was the greatest thing Harry could imagine, short of having his parents back. "H-how would I become the Head of House Potter?" Harry asked after a moment.

Narcissa smiled, "If you will trust me, I will take you to Gringotts myself. All you need to do is sign a few forms and you will be the master of your fate." _That's right, trust me and I will ensure that we both get what we want...you want your family, and I want freedom from Lucius._

His eyes narrowed slightly, he knew that he had some naivety towards the magical world, but he knew enough about human nature and the special brand of terrible luck he seemed to possess, "What is the catch? You do this for me, what do you get out of it?" He was surprised to see what looked like actual respect in her eyes at that moment.

"You are correct, I do have a favor I would like from you. Protection." She said softly, "As I'm sure you know already, Lucius is not a good man. He is even less a good husband. I want to be away from him. You will need a Seneschal, someone to guide you through your place in our society." She allowed a bit of honest emotion to show in her eyes, "Please, Harry... I do not wish to be Narcissa Malfoy any longer... if you help me to become Narcissa Black once more, then I will pledge myself to your cause."

"But how can I help you become Narcissa Black, Sirius is the only one who can do that, you said it yourself." Harry interjected, "I'd like to help you, but I'm not sure how I can do anything to make you Narcissa Black."

"He is your godfather. He loves you. If you could convince him, then I know he would find a way to go to Gringotts and annul my marriage." Narcissa pleaded, "Send him a letter after we complete our business at Gringotts today."

"Today?"

She nodded, "Of course. We can't do this during school hours and you cannot leave the school grounds except on Hogsmeade weekends. But during them, we can travel as needed. You are an adult, and no matter what Dumbledore tells you, you can leave whenever you need to." She rose and held out her hand for him, "Come with me Harry, when we return I will have made you the Lord of House Potter, as you should have always been."

Harry took her hand, uncertain of his decision, but he knew that so far nothing had really improved in his life. He had some friends, but most of them were gone. Ron wouldn't speak to him and Hermione kept trying to make him confess to putting his name in the Goblet.

Narcissa pulled him in against her side, "This is called 'side-along apparation', I will take us to Gringotts. Just hold on, and do try to avoid being sick when we arrive." There was a crack, and then Harry felt himself being pulled through a straw.

Scene Break

Bellatrix found that her new cell was at least more comfortable than her old one. She didn't have to see her oaf of a husband anymore thanks to Amelia. Her information about possible contingencies the Dark Lord had made her privy to had gained her much. Her new cell was on a lower, less guarded part of the prison, she had a bed that might have actually been built within her lifetime, and best of all, she had a real window. For the first time in over a decade, Bellatrix could see the full moon at night. She liked that, seeing the moon. It reminded her of better days.

 _Better days indeed.._. She thought with a soft, barely noticeable smile. It hadn't always been like this. She hadn't always been considered the most evil woman in Britain. In fact, at one time, she would have been a member of the Order that had fought against Voldemort.

 _It would have been so easy, but I still thought our House had value...so I betrayed him..and myself..._ She had loved once, but that was long over. There was no way that he man she had loved didn't hate her. _Not after the things I did in my devotion to the Dark Lord..._

A tear, unbidden slid down her cheek. She used to cry nightly here at Azkaban, tormented by memories of what she'd had and what she'd given up. Then those tears dried and she never thought she'd feel another tear run down her cheek. _If I can find a way to get out of here...even if he still hates me, I will speak to him again. I have to._

Amelia would be coming for another meeting soon. She had something important to tell her today. _I wonder if finding out that the esteemed Barty Crouch freed his son from Azkaban would be worth getting closer to the door?_


	6. Chapter 6

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Six. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells. This Chapter is all Narcissa, expect each witch to have her own chapter later down the line

Chapter Six: This Seems Unorthodox

Arriving at Gringotts, Harry found himself pressed into the perfumed bosom of Narcissa Malfoy as he recovered from his first side-along apparation. Narcissa smirked internally and surreptitiously turned so that he was even closer. "There we are Harry," She said quietly, her warm breath tickling his ear, "Now, I'll speak with the Goblin in charge of your account and then we will have your paperwork signed and sent out." She broke from him, "Stay here and I'll be right back." She told him as she walked up to the front counter.

Harry watched her speaking to the Goblin at the counter. He was still slightly uncomfortable, both in being at Gringotts and thus away from Hogwarts, and also the oncoming responsibilities he would face. _I'm an adult, and by the end of the day, I'll be the Head of House Potter..._ That was a big deal for anyone to think about, let alone a fourteen-year-old.

Narcissa returned to him, "We will speak with the Account Manager in Room Four." She said, leading him past the counter and down into the hallway nearest the tellers stand. Harry had never been in this hallway. The only time he'd been at Gringotts, he'd been in the vaults and that was it.

The hallway seemed to stretch on forever. At regular intervals, Harry noticed doors, each one with a number written in the same sprawling text. It could almost pass for a muggle corridor except that the numbers weren't in any sort of order Harry could understand. However, eventually, Narcissa stood in front of a door marked by a large '4' and the words 'Line Continuation and Headship'.

Seated inside the room was a squat Goblin peering over the table at Harry and Narcissa from behind a huge stack of files. "We've sent you," the Goblin all but growled, "One owl a week, every week, since you turned eleven and you've only now decided to show up..." He motioned at the files, "I have been in the dark trying to manage your accounts because you were too good to reply to a Goblin missive. Do you have any idea how much gold you've cost me from missed investments because I could not get your approval?"

"I'm sorry-" Harry started but was swiftly interrupted by Narcissa.

"Listen to me _Goblin._ " She began in a dangerously even tone, "If Heir Potter had received a message from you, he would have been here by now. The fact that you haven't heard from him should tell you that either your owls are faulty or someone is preventing the messages from getting to him. Why haven't you sent someone to speak with Heir Potter or his magical guardian?" She looked over at Harry, "Harry, have you received any letters from Gringotts?"

"N-no, I haven't." He said, "Besides your letters I hardly ever receive anything."

Narcissa nodded, "I use a charm developed by Great Aunt Cassandra for the Black family. No wards exist that can prevent a Black from sending a letter to another Black." She looked back at the Goblin, "He's here now, so perhaps you can dispense with the bile and get to the matter at hand. Heir Potter is a legal adult thanks to being selected by the tri-"

The Goblin interrupted, "I don't care. He's an adult that's what matters. Sign here, here, here, and here." He said to Harry, offering him a dark quill and indicating a series of X's on a paper marked 'Disbursement of Potter family inheritances.' Harry winced as he signed, it felt as if someone with long fingernails was scratching the top of his hand.

The Goblin snatched back the quill and the parchment, "Right then, you are now Head of House Potter. That means you have control over the Potter vaults and can sign off on all investments both Muggle and Magical. This," He said shoving a parchment towards him, "is the current list of investments and businesses owned by the Potter family. This," a different parchment was placed in front of Harry, "is a list of current Potter properties. You have the Potter seat on the Wizengamot," The Goblin handed Harry another sheet, "Finally, I need you to cut your palm and bleed into this bowl for your ring."

Narcissa nodded and when the Goblin placed the bowl upon the table and then handed Harry a sharp bladed knife, he did as he was asked. Harry hissed in pain and then clenched his fist, allowing blood to drip into the bowl. As the blood touched the bottom of the bowl Harry heard a sizzle and could smell a faint coppery tang in the air. The wound on his palm healed quickly and at the bottom of the bowl sat a silver ring with a large sapphire set into it. Harry slipped it onto his finger and felt it size itself to fit him.

"That concludes our business. Unless you need anything else." The Goblin said to Harry.

Harry thought, "I would like to see my parents wills." He asked the Goblin. The Goblin pushed a stack of parchment towards him. On the top were the words 'Last Will and Testament of James and Lily Potter'.

 _I, James Charlus Potter, being of sound mind and body._

 _I, Lily Evans Potter, being of sound mind and body,_

 _do hereby make our final will and testaments._

 _Upon our deaths, our son Harry James Potter will receive everything._

 _Anticlimactic I suppose- James_

 _It's fitting, he's our only child- Lily_

 _Still, I suppose we should give something to our friends- James_

 _Harry won't receive everything- James_

 _Provided they were not somehow responsible for our untimely deaths, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew will each receive ten thousand galleons- Lily_

 _If they are responsible, then they get nothing- James_

 _Well, yes James, that goes without saying- Lily_

 _I wanted to say it- James_

 _Under no circumstances is Harry to be placed with my sister- Lily_

 _Merlin no, it goes in this order: Frank and Alice Longbottom, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Andromeda Tonks, literally anyone else, a particularly smart Krupp, Satan, Satan with a funny hat, then Petunia and Vernon.- James_

 _If she's gotten rid of Lucius, Narcissa Black would be a good candidate- Lily_

 _You're only saying that because you were friends with her- James_

 _She's a very bright witch James- Lily_

 _Anyway, that should be it, so this is James Charlus Potter marking this Will as complete_

 _And Lily Evans Potter doing the same_

Harry found himself laughing at the words of his parents. Narcissa looked over his shoulder, "Self-writing quills I would imagine. This seems very much in keeping with how they used to finish each other's sentences." She explained to Harry.

"I didn't know you were friends with my mother." Harry said to her, "What was she like?" Harry didn't know much about his parents for obvious reasons. The idea that he was sitting beside another person who could give him insight gave him a warm feeling.

"I will tell what I know once we've left Gringotts and you've gotten your new robes," Narcissa told him, rising and leading him to the door with his papers rolled up under her arm.

That caused Harry to pause, "Why do I need new robes?" He asked her. It wasn't that Harry was opposed to new robes, it was more the question of why he needed them. He'd just bought new school robes before the beginning of the school year.

"To begin with, the Tournament always features a Ball at Yule. You will need appropriate robes for the event. Secondly, your school robes are suitable for...common wizards, but you are hardly common. The Potter name is an old one, your family stretches back to the time of the Founders." Narcissa explained as she led him, not to Madam Malkin's, as he had expected, but down a side street to a shop called 'The Discerning Eye'.

This was a far different type of shop than what Harry was used to. Instead of the bustling shop in the main alley, this was much smaller and quieter and smelled faintly of vanilla. Instead of a junior clerk, there was an older wizard who looked as if he had been asleep for the past fifty years. "Lady Malfoy," he said in a soft drone that made Harry wonder if he was related to Professor Binns, "To what do we owe such an honor?"

"Master Sartor, the Head of House Potter needs formal robes, a set of robes suitable for a Grand Ball, and a set of Wizengamot Robes. All of the above need to carry the seal for House Potter." Narcissa said, then turned to Harry, "Master Sartor has been the personal tailor to the Sacred Twenty Eight for over sixty years. He made your parent's wedding robes as well as the robe you would have worn when James and Lily presented you to our society. Sadly, due to the events of the first War, you never wore them."

"You knew my parents?" Harry asked the elderly tailor. Sartor, coming around the counter with a measure in hand nodded as he carefully began to measure Harry. Unlike Madam Malkin's, where an enchanted tape measure did all the work, Sartor did his measurements by hand.

"I did, young master Potter, James I knew of old, as his father and grandfather were among my clients. I did not meet your mother until she was brought here to purchase her wedding robes." The old man said as he continued to work, "It was a surprise to everyone when your father chose her over the witch he was betrothed to."

"It shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone," Narcissa interjected, "James was in love with Lily from day one. Alice was in love with Frank. They made the choice to abandon their betrothals in favor of the people they wanted." She turned wistful then, "It was brave of them."

"Alice and Frank? You mean Alice Longbottom?" Harry asked Narcissa, meanwhile, Sartor had risen from his kneeling position and had begun to summon cloth samples from his counter, pressing one after another against Harry before tossing them back over his shoulder.

"Alice McKinnon at the time, but yes." Narcissa replied, "They were betrothed before they could walk. By the time the contract would have been fulfilled Alice and Marlene were the only McKinnon's left above the age of majority. It was a simple thing for her to cancel the contract and allow herself and your father to marry whom they wished."

Samples were chosen and Sartor went back to a table and began to fashion robes from the materials he'd selected, "Acromantula silk, with runes for impervious fabric, warming, and stain repellent." He told Harry, "It is the standard for those who wish to keep their robes looking pristine."

In short order Harry found himself trying on a fine black robe that felt weightless. He looked at it in the mirror before he felt a cool hand touch his shoulder, "Such fine material..." Narcissa said just above a whisper. Sartor had gone into the back and Harry felt his breath quicken as Narcissa's hand moved up and down the material before settling just below his chest, "It suits you, you look every part the young Lord...tell me," here her voice was soft, her warm breath tickling his ear, "What will you do, when you return and the little girls find out that their secret crush is in control of his fortune?" Her hand ghosted lower for a moment and Harry felt as if he'd forgotten how to breathe, "They will try to seduce you, you know...sneak you into broom closets, maybe even pull you into an abandoned classroom..." She moved her hand back up and brought to his chin, pulling his head up to look at him gently, "You will need to choose a paramour..someone you can.." Narcissa stroked his cheek softly, "'vent' those frustrations upon.."

Harry drew in a breath, "And I suppose you want that spot?" He looked into her eyes, she was beautiful it was true, but beyond the beauty, he could sense something else. _Cunning._ He thought _She's appraising me like I'm a piece of meat..._

"Why I would never," She began and then smirked gently, "Not yet anyway...I am a married woman...for now... Perhaps after my annulment goes through I would be willing to provide you with the physical relief you would be entitled to after weeks of teasing by those little girls..." She leaned in so that they were practically nose to nose, "I am a woman, Harry...I can show you things those silly little girls could never dream of..." She stroked his cheek and then straightened back up, "In any case, once Master Sartor has finished, I believe it will be time to get you back to Hogwarts..." She turned and went to the counter, leaving Harry to gather his thoughts.

 _Perfect...he's confused, angry, and more than a little aroused...he'll be thinking about me all night up in the tower._ Narcissa congratulated herself as she waited for the tailor to return from the back. Harry, if he was anything like his father, would be unable to get this day out of his head and so the next time she visited him, she could push it just a little further.

Sartor appeared from the backroom, "Lady Malfoy, Lord Potter, your robes will be finished and delivered in a weeks time. The bill comes to one hundred galleons, payable by owl when they are delivered, with thirty galleons today for the fitting and the addition of the runes." Sartor flicked his wand at Harry and the black robes seemed to melt off of him and fly back where the elderly man caught them with his free hand.

"Take your wand and tap the invoice, that will transfer the gold from your account to the shops," Narcissa explained to Harry, "Now that you are the Head of your House, you don't need to bother carrying a coin purse, your magic will act as your signature."

Harry did as directed and the old man gave them a half bow, "Thank you for your patronage." He said as they left the shop. Narcissa led Harry back towards the street. Harry wondered if he should feel any different, now that he was an adult. _Well, an adult in the eyes of magic and the ministry..._ He thought sardonically as he continued to walk.

"Our next visit together will involve apparation lessons and prepare you for your license. You are an adult now, and it doesn't do for you to have to be guided by side-along apparation anymore." Narcissa told him, stopping in front of Flourish and Blott's, "In fact, hold here a moment and I will be right back." She walked into the bookshop and returned a few moments later with a small wrapped parcel. Harry opened it, revealing a book entitled 'How to Apparate' by S. Uite. "Study this, Harry," Narcissa told him as he looked at the cover of the book, "The sooner you can apparate, the sooner you will be able to avoid dangerous situations."

"I think I did apparate once as a little boy. I ended up on the roof at school to get away from my cousin and his friends..." Harry mused still looking at the book, "It would be nice to be able to do that at will."

"It's not perfect," Narcissa explained, "There are wards against apparating at Hogwarts for example. But in the right situations, it can be used as a way to get out of a tough spot." She pulled him close to her, "Now, let's get you back..." Harry felt his insides being pulled down into his shoes as they vanished from London.

Arriving back at the Alley they had left Hogsmeade from earlier in the day, Narcissa straightened Harry's robes. Finding them now acceptable, she stepped back, "Study your book, Harry, I will contact you later this month and we will see each other at the next Hogsmeade weekend." She turned and walked away leaving Harry to make his way up towards the Castle once more.

If he'd been watching, he would have seen Draco Malfoy observing his mother part from Harry's side from his vantage point at Honeydukes. Draco made a decision to send a letter to his father that night, _Something is going on and I want to know what that is..._

He was not the only one. Tonks had seen her aunt talking with Harry at the Three Broomsticks. Overhearing part of the conversation, she had followed them as silently as she could. She'd been unable to go with them into Gringotts or the Tailors of course, but she'd stuck as close by as possible. _I don't trust her. I need to introduce myself to Harry as soon as I can..._ She decided that she would meet him that night. _I'd better send a letter to Madam Bones as well..._


	7. Chapter 7

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Seven. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Seven: Funny how things work out

The newly minted Head of House Potter found himself back at the piano in the Common Room. He needed to think and this was the best way he could do that. 'I Never Dreamt' by Earl Hines was the song he'd liked best for gathering his thoughts. It had always been, ever since Arabella Figg had begun teaching him piano.

 _Hermione is mad that I left Hogsmeade…apparently if I do anything, I have to clear it with her or I'm at risk of being captured by Death Eaters…_ It annoyed him, more than a little, that both of his supposed best friends had begun treating him so poorly. Ron he'd expected, as Harry had mused before, Ron got jealous if Harry had a slightly larger rasher of bacon.

Hermione though, that was the one that hurt. When he'd arrived back at Hogsmeade and left Narcissa behind, Hermione was on top of him within a matter of seconds.

 _"_ _Harry James Potter! How could you be so stupid to leave Hogsmeade with Narcissa Malfoy?" Hermione all but snarled as she stepped up, matching his pace._

 _Harry moved faster slightly, "Hi, Hermione, I'm glad to see you too. Thanks for calling me stupid, I always appreciate your honesty." Harry said sarcastically, "For your information, Narcissa took me to deal with my parents Will. Did you know I was never supposed to go to the Dursleys? Satan followed by Satan in a funny hat was ahead of Vernon and Petunia."_

 _"_ _How do you know it was a real will?" Hermione said, struggling to keep up. She was a thinker, not a sprinter. Harry had spent most of his childhood running away from Dudley, so he was able to speed up enough that she was having trouble following._

 _Harry stopped when she asked that question, "Hermione, what do you know about Goblins?" Not waiting for an answer, Harry continued, "They hate wizards, but they hate being called liars more." He looked at her, "I can relate."_

 _"_ _Harry, I'm not calling you a liar…it's just…you know as well as I do that you always end up nearly dying. I'd like it if my best friend would take this seriously!" Hermione said, trying to sound reasonable and rational, "I'm more worried that someone confounded you."_

 _"_ _How would that even work? I'm still underage. I couldn't cross the age line…I. Didn't. Do. It." He looked at her and shook his head, "Why is this so difficult to believe?"_

That was what brought Harry back to this moment. Playing the piano and trying to make sense of his life. He was a legal adult now. Thanks to Narcissa, he had options regarding where to live. He would never have to go back to Privet Drive.

Then there was Tonks. She'd introduced herself shortly after Hermione, unable to answer Harry's question, had walked off in a huff. Tonks was, surprising, to say the least. He'd never seen someone who could make their hair change color like she could.

She'd caught up with him, once Hermione had left in a huff. "Wotcher," She said, "My name is Tonks. I'm one of the Aurors assigned guard duty for the Tournament." She gave what she hoped Harry would consider a friendly smile.

"I'm Harry…" He began, only to smirk, "But then you knew that. No one has not known who I was since Hagrid took me to the Leaky Cauldron to get my supplies." He took her hand when she offered it and shook it, a strange niggling detail whispered in his mind, _She looks so familiar..but why?_ Harry didn't know the answer to that question. But he wanted to.

Up close, Tonks could finally take in every detail of his face. _It's him alright. Every dream, every nightmare…in those visions, I loved him so much…and I hurt him…I hurt myself…_ Tonks had a reputation among her friends as a sharp witch. Rowan Khanna, one of her closest friends at the Ministry, had said it herself. 'Nymphadora Tonks has a knack for getting into and out of predicaments that would terrify a more sensible person.'

She was a brave Hufflepuff, something normally seen as a bit of a contradiction. But she did not back down. _No matter what those stupid daydreams showed. I'm better than that…right?_ She drew in a breath, "So, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here. It's not for an autograph, or to embroil you in some kind of fantastical deadly adventure, you've got enough of that already…"

"So why are you talking to me? Not to be rude but I'm sort of on my way to the Common Room…" Harry said, while in his head he was trying to figure out her angle. _Everyone wants something: Ron wants me to admit I cheated to get in, Hermione wants me to admit that I'm wrong or lying, Narcissa wants me to help her become a Black again…what's next?_

"I just wanted to talk to you. Besides being in the running for biggest celebrity in the Tournament, you are the youngest and the most at risk. I'm not a teacher, but if you wanted some pointers on defensive charms, I could give you a few." She offered. That would be the best way to get him to trust her. _Be helpful, get his trust and prove that you deserve to keep it._ That was the Hufflepuff way.

"And what would that kind of assistance cost me? Again, not to be rude, but no one has ever just wanted to help me with the exception of maybe three people." Harry asked her. _Those being Hagrid, Sirius, okay maybe four if I count the twins separately instead of the bizarre hive-mind they usually act like._ He smirked internally at that, but did his best to listen as she spoke.

Tonks wondered how a fourteen-year-old had gotten so jaded so early in life, "I don't want anything Harry. I just want to help you not die. We are kind of family…I mean my cousin was your Godfather...or is I should say." That got a reaction, she noted with some pleasure.

"Sirius is your cousin?" Harry asked, _I know the big-name families are inbred to some degree, but just happening to run into two different cousins of Sirius seems bizarre…_ he didn't want to be so tired by all the things fate seemed to be throwing at him, but for some reason it just felt like recursion, like he was doing something over again. _I hope this isn't like that movie I heard the Dursleys watching when I was in the cupboard…'Groundhogs Day' sounded like a nightmare for the person involved…_

"He's technically my second cousin…he's my mother's cousin. Again, technically, she got kicked out for marrying a muggleborn instead of the guy they wanted. 'Course if I had to choose between freedom and Havard Nott, I would have picked getting out too." Tonks said, "You're just meeting all the former Blacks, aren't you? Well okay, not all of them, Auntie Bellatrix is still in lockup thank Merlin…but I know you were talking to Aunt Narcissa…saw the two of you in Hogsmeade."

"Yes, she was interested in telling me some stories about my parents. Apparently, she was friends with my mother and was nearly betrothed to my father…" Harry sighed then, "So, are you warning me off?"

"I should probably do that. The Malfoys are a shit family. Lucius has a permanent spot in Azkaban once we figure out something to stick him with. Cousin Draco is an obnoxious little bastard…Aunt Narcissa though…she's never been outright rude to me, so I'm going to do something dumb and not tell you to stay away. Just be cautious." Tonks said to him before gesturing towards the gates of the castle, "So, are you interested in those defensive spells? I can tell you know none of your competitors will know them..." She said that in a sing-songy voice, as if she was trying to tempt him.

"I'm not going to turn away help. Knowing my luck this stupid Tournament is going to have me arm wrestling the Giant Squid and then slap the backside of a centaur…" Harry said, "When do you want to do this?"

"You're a Champion, so you can ditch classes if it's for training purposes, right? Meet me tomorrow morning in the Courtyard at nine. Learning something that might actually save your life is better than dozing in Binn's class, right?" She asked him, when he nodded his assent she smiled, "Great, smiles all around. I'll see you then. Word of advice, wear padded trousers…you're going to be falling a lot." She gave him a little wave and turned, making her way back towards Hogsmeade. _If this is going to work, I'll need to be relaxed. Best way I can think to do that is to get good and knackered tonight…_

On her way into the village proper, she passed by a rail thin dog. It was huge, but looked like it hadn't eaten in weeks. The dog walked up to her, wagging its tail in a friendly manner. "Wotcher boy…" Tonks said, scratching the dog behind the ear, "Who do you belong to, and how badly do you want me to hex them for getting you skinny?" The dog chuffed in reply, sounding almost like a laugh. Tonks looked at him for a moment, "How about, let's get a sarnie for me, and I'll split it with you, you like that?" This time the dog barked loudly and began to prance around her feet happily.

Getting the promised sandwich at the Three Broomsticks, Tonks walked along the village's main road tossing the crust to the dog as she ate. She looked at him for a moment, "Seems like you're a safe enough one to talk to. You are after all a dog and can't talk back…and I need to get some thoughts out of my head anyway. I'm out of my depth here…Bones gave me the job of securing Hogwarts and coordinating with the other governments. That means everyone except for her, Kingsley, and Hestia hate my guts now…Harry Potter is being set up by _someone_ and I promised I'd try to help him, but I have no idea what to do besides teaching him some Auror class defensive spells…" She scratched the dogs head for a moment, "And now I'm talking to a random stray because I'm isolated here in the ass end of Scotland instead of in my flat waiting on Hestia to show up with a large bottle of something potent…"

The dog looked appraisingly at her for a moment and then barked, leaping forward and walking a few paces before turning and staring at her as if to say _Follow me, even if this is the most obvious set up ever…_. Tonks knew it was most likely a bad idea, but she allowed herself to be lead away from the village and down to a small cave tucked in a hill. She kept her wand hand ready, _One wrong move sparky and you are doxie chow…_

Once they were at the cave the dog bounded inside. After a few seconds Tonks heard soft footsteps and out stepped the person she considered least likely to see today, "C-cousin Sirius?" She managed, to which the older wizard laughed softly.

"Hello 'Dora…" Sirius said, holding his hands up to show he had no weapons, "How's Andi?" This was a gamble on the part of Sirius, but he trusted her. From the year he'd spent in Azkaban and now as an escaped convict, he'd heard things. Amelia ran a tight department, which was expected. She'd always been a hard worker.

"You!" Tonks said holding her wand out at him, "Why are you here?" _Please don't actually be a Death Eater…I don't want to have to tell Mum I killed her favorite cousin._ It had nearly destroyed Andromeda Tonks when she'd heard that Sirius, the other black sheep of the family, had been sent to Azkaban for betraying the Potter family and getting them killed by Voldemort before murdering Peter Pettigrew and a group of muggles. Tonks remembered Sirius when she was a girl, he'd always brought her treats that she had to hide before her mother the Medi-Witch found them and threw them away for being bad for her.

"The same as you 'Dora. I want to keep Harry safe. Pettigrew escaped us and I know he's bound to have found his master again." Sirius kept his hands up, "I met Harry last year, he saved me from the Kiss and Buckbeak from Macnair's axe." Sirius chuckled soft and sad before speaking again, "The lad has too much of his father in him, James wouldn't have let Remus and I kill Peter either."

"Peter Pettigrew is alive? But how?" Tonks had so many questions about this. Questions that Sirius could see in her eyes, "Assuming I believe you, why haven't you tried to contact Mum?"

Sirius sighed, "'Dora, I'm an escaped convict. An escaped convict who still has a 'Kiss-on-sight' order on his name. Writing to Andi was too risky, if someone figured out that I'd sent a letter to the only family I claimed, she would have been in danger." He was right, Tonks knew that Owl tracking had always been a serious issue in the last war. You could have a fantastically warded hiding place and still be found if the wrong person found your letter.

She nodded, "Fine. D'you have a wand? Give me an Oath that you are innocent and I'll believe you." She watched as Sirius reached into his robes and pulled out a wand. As he gave his Oath she wondered how she would explain this to her mother when she saw her next. _Or Bones…'Oh hey boss, I found your ex-fiancé…he's been hiding in Hogsmeade as a stray dog…'_ She did not relish the idea of telling anyone about this. Of course, Hestia would know. She'd see it in the cards _, or the tea leaves, or in some chicken bones or some nonsense…_

The Oath given, Sirius pocketed his wand again, "Now that you know I didn't betray my best friends or my Godson, we can figure out what to do to help him." He said to her, sitting down on a large rock, "You said defensive spells…so you handle those and I'll give him some Black family spells for offense."

The pair would make their plans as they sat in the cave. Keeping Harry safe was a priority for both of them. For Sirius, it was keeping his Godson safe and fulfilling his oath as Godfather. This was James' son. He had loved the boy from the first time a chubby dark-haired baby had grabbed a fistful of his beard and tugged it down.

For Tonks, it was her duty as an Auror to protect those who needed it. But there was also a baby in her mind. _Teddy…_ The one from her dreams, the one that she'd had with Harry in her visions. For Teddy to be born, Harry had to survive. If Harry was to survive, she had to be ready to help, however she could.

Scene Break

Fleur heard the piano playing as she made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room. She found two red-haired brothers, twins, standing by the door. "Pardon, may I go inside, I wish to speak with Harry Potter…" She asked them.

Fred and George looked at each other, and then turned back to her, "One moment, Madame." One of them said, before the two went into a huddle, whispering furiously. After what seemed like a full minute of conversation then straightened, "We will allow you entrance into our most sacred place…" The first twin said with a bow.

Despite herself, Fleur giggled. The twins gave the password and allowed her into the Common Room, "Strictly speaking this is against the rules…" The second twin said to her, "So if someone with a badge shows up, glamour your hair red and say you're cousin Eunice from Swansea…"

"I could just hit them with the Allure and leave them dazed long enough to run away…" She said with a smirk as the twins laughed. She liked these two wizards, she'd decided. Beyond not treating her differently for being French, or a Veela, they seemed to have a good humor about them.

Finally, she was face to face with Harry once more. Well, face to back. He was still playing the piano, his eyes closed and his expression a million miles away. She wanted to touch his shoulder, to speak to him, but she couldn't. Instead, she sat down on the couch to wait. The music was beautiful and she found herself drawn into it. She saw an image of her, dressed in the wedding gown she'd seen in one of her dreams. This wasn't the sad vision she'd had before. In this one, she had embraced her feelings and the two were dancing at their own wedding.

 _Fleur Potter spun with her husband of two hours on the floor of the ballroom at Delacour Manor. She smiled and drew up against him._

 _The Champion of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the love of her life. It had been the happiest moment of her life when he'd kissed her before she was due to return to France._

 _They'd corresponded while he finished his school years. He'd visited her on every Yule break and she'd came to London to be with him every summer._

 _Now they were married. She'd never dreamed she would find a man like him. Someone who saw her the way her father saw her mother. As a person, not a pretty face._

Fleur was unsure how long she'd been day dreaming when she noticed the music stop. She blinked the thoughts away and found that Harry had turned on the bench and was looking at her. "Bonjour...," She managed after a moment, "I am sorry for the intrusion, but I wanted to speak with you..." Fleur drew in a breath, "I'm sorry…I thought I had something prepared in my mind when I finally had the chance to speak to you again." She said as she rose, preparing to leave.

A hand on her arm stopped her, "Do you play?" Harry asked her, sliding over and offering Fleur a spot beside him. She nodded and sank into the seat beside him. The two began to play together, Harry on the right and Fleur beside him on the left. At first there was no tune, but as they continued they began to play together as if they had sheet music in front of them. 'Claire du Lune' was a well-known piece, one that they could both work with. Fleur was grateful for it. She might not be able to explain to him how her body reacted to him, but she could play.

They could play.


	8. Chapter 8

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Eight. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Eight: Regrets, just so many regrets.

"You mean that Narcissa Malfoy took Harry Potter off the school premises, took him into Gringotts for who knows what, and then got him fitted for the kind of robes one wears if one is going to be announcing their status as a Lord?" Amelia had taken one look at the letter Tonks had sent her and had immediately apparated to her room at Hogwarts. This was what greeted Tonks when she came back from watching the Gryffindor Champion in his Charms class; a furious DMLE Director.

"Y-yes ma'am. I followed them as best I could. I couldn't risk being seen, or I'd blow my cover. Lady Malfoy is too well connected to be treated like she's stupid. If I just ran up wanting to know why she had a recently emancipated adult with her, she'd doubtlessly had an excuse." Tonks said, defending herself to her boss, "As it is, I have made contact with Harry and he's going to take some defense classes from me."

Surprisingly, Amelia seemed to calm down slightly from that, "Alright. Good work keeping an eye on him. Keep him safe, but the next time that woman shows up to take him away from the school, send me a messenger Patronus immediately." She looked down for just a moment, a flick of her eyes that most would miss, "Has there been any sign of Si- of Black?"

Tonks had a choice. She could lie to her boss or risk her cousin's safety. "No, ma'am. But given that Harry is one of the champions, he'll probably be around. Ma'am, pardon me for asking, but the two of you were close weren't you? My mother mentioned it when he first escaped."

Amelia sighed, "Yes. We were very close. After the McKinnon's, Sirius and I bonded over the case. We'd dated briefly during our time at Hogwarts, but I was older so I left and thought he'd forget about me." But he hadn't. Instead, Sirius had never really lost the torch he'd carried for her.

"Was it hard? Seeing his trial?" Tonks asked, "My mother said that you were talking about getting married and then that Halloween happened..."

"There was no trial, Auror Tonks. Crouch wanted Sirius in Azkaban that night." It was the lowest point in her career. Head Auror Amelia Bones allowed her then boss to send the man she loved to Azkaban without a trial. "There are a lot of things I should have done differently in my life, and not pressing for a trial is one of them." She should have, but it had been a moment of weakness.

Tonks pressed the moment, "I don't think he's guilty. He couldn't have been. He was Harry's godfather. He swore an Oath to the Potter family. Betraying them would have killed him, or at least taken his magic." She looked at Amelia, "Do you miss him?"

"Of course I miss him. I've missed him since he went to Azkaban. But what I did was as much an act of betrayal as he's accused of. I let them take him away. I could have forced the issue, I'd have probably been fired, but I could have done it." She sighed softly, "It doesn't matter. I made my mistake and I have to live with it. In any case, keep an eye on Harry Potter." She turned and walked back through the floo to her office.

Amelia locked her door with a flick of her wand and then sat down in her chair. She took a deep breath. _Damn you, Sirius. Why couldn't you wait for me? Why did you have to rush off?_ To be honest, Amelia agreed with Tonks. She didn't think Sirius was guilty, but she couldn't do anything at the time. Now, while she was sure he was innocent of the original crime, he was guilty of escaping Azkaban. She wasn't sure what she could do, so she did the same thing she had done the night he was arrested. Nothing.

She was a terrible Hufflepuff, she mused as she tried to get control over her emotions. _So much for the 'House of the Loyal'..._ She thought as she began to grumpily look at her stack of paperwork.

 _Sirius had been a dose of needed levity in her life. He was the rebel. The Black Gryffindor, the outcast from his family. She'd hated leaving him when she finally graduated. But she'd refused to take his promise ring when she left. He deserved better than pining for her while she was starting her career, unable to contact him except for very sporadic letters._

 _He'd dated Marlene McKinnon. Then the entire family was murdered. Sirius was nearly broken by it. They reconnected then. She was hurting over the deaths of her family and he was hurting over the death of his girlfriend._

 _They'd restarted their relationship and it had been like nothing changed. This time when he'd given her his ring, she'd taken it._

 _Then the Potters were killed._

Amelia snapped out of her reverie when she heard a knock. She unlocked the door and let the real world intrude on her memories once more.

Scene Break

Fleur sought out Harry again during the lunch period. He was sitting alone, having walked away from the girl she'd met before, _Hermione, I think..._ who had been talking to him. He looked annoyed, she thought, and so when she sat down beside him, she tried to give him a pleasant smile.

A smile he barely returned.

"Harry, what's wrong?" She asked him, "You seem to be in a worse mood than you were in the Common Room." This was a bit of a reversal, she noted to herself. _He tried to make me feel better when I lost my nerve talking to him, now I'm trying to help him..._

"It's my friends. Or I thought they were. Ron hasn't spoken to me since my name came out. Hermione is convinced that I was charmed to forget putting my name in the Goblet. No one believes me..." He said glaring at his perfectly innocent plate of chips and beans.

"I believe you." She said quietly, "You took an Oath in front of us. I know how you feel though...when I first reached puberty and it was harder to control my Allure, I had friends who believed I was intentionally 'stealing' their boyfriends." She looked over at the table where the other Beauxbaton students were seated with the Ravenclaws, "Some of them I had been friends with since I was barely able to speak. We haven't spoken since. I tried to explain what happened, but no one wants to listen when they think they know the answer."

Harry nodded, "That's Hermione. For someone who is supposed to be my best friend, and the one who always has my back, she's very convinced that I'm either a liar or an idiot." He finally ate one of his chips, "It would be different," Harry began to say, pausing to chew, "if this was a pattern, but it's not. She believed me when I was being called the 'Heir of Slytherin', she believed me when no one else did. But this year it's like she's decided that everyone must be right this time."

Fleur looked over in the direction Harry had been staring. The brunette witch she had met before was staring hard at them. _She looks jealous...or possibly she thinks that I'm going to do something to turn him away from her, she's doing a fine job of that..._ Fleur held that thought and then finally spoke on a subject that had been bothering her, "I have been having dreams. Of you, and myself. I don't know why and that bothers me."

Harry had chosen that moment to drink his pumpkin juice. He now had a good idea of what drowning feels like as the juice flowed through his nostrils as he began to choke and cough. "D-dreams?" He managed, "What kind of dreams?"

"Stupid things. Dreams of events that haven't happened will never happen." She shook her head, the silver hair flowing as she did so. _Even when she's trying to clear her head, she makes it look beautiful..._ Harry thought with consternation as she continued, "I feel a connection to you like we've been here before."

"One year. Just one. Where nothing bizarre happens. That's all I wanted." Harry said absently as he looked down at his plate, "I've had the same. Not just of you, but of an Auror I've met. I keep getting these...flashes of something. Old emotions, but they can't be old since I've never met either of you before. Okay, maybe I met Tonks once at some point, she was in her seventh year when I started, but if it happened I don't remember." He shrugged, "It's like something's telling me to change the ending to a story that hasn't been written."

Fleur nodded, "That is the feeling I've been having. Like I'm supposed to do something different, though what it is I don't know yet." She smiled excitedly, "Maybe we can train together later and talk about this some more?"

Harry thought, "Sure if you'd like you can meet me at the Gryffindor Common Room tonight, the password is 'Ballywick'." He rose, "I have to get to my next class, I'll see you later." He left hurriedly, not noticing Hermione watching them.

Draco Malfoy looked at the response he had gotten from his father. The letter; short and terse as it was, had explained some of his mother's actions. But not all of them. _I'll keep an eye on Potter and Mother._

He looked back down at the letter with some distaste, _Mother is going to ingratiate herself to Potter and try to create a scandal where he will give her the Potter and Black vaults. Why would Potter have any claim on the Black Vaults? I am the next male child in line for those vaults._

Draco had never met his second cousin Sirius. Sirius had, after all, been in Azkaban for most of his life. He also didn't want to know the mangy blood-traitor. What mattered was when he died, the wealth of the Black family would be his.

That was what mattered. Wealth. Power. Status.

He refused to let Potter ruin it. He watched as his nemesis left the Hall, his two lackeys absent. They were still at the Gryffindor table. A thought began to percolate in his mind. _I've heard that they think he's lying...I bet if the right things got to their ears, they would completely abandon that idiot..._

Scene Break

Bellatrix knew that Amelia would be coming to see her later in the day. She always came on Mondays. However, she was not prepared for the 'visitor' she had this time. Being on a less secure floor she knew that she could have visitors. But she had never expected them.

But there he was. The wizard she had loved and hated.

Remus Lupin.

It was hard to describe the feelings inside of her. The easiest one to go with and the one she chose was rage. "You were supposed to kill me." She said softly, "Remember? If I couldn't get out of that contract, you were supposed to meet me at our spot and poison me." She clenched her fists, grateful for once that she didn't have her wand.

Remus sighed. Yes, that had been the plan. It had been her plan and she had managed to get him to show up with the poison. But it's hard to murder someone you're in love with. Instead, he had to live with the fact that his lover had become the most wicked woman in British magical history. "I couldn't do it. I tried. I bought the poison. But I couldn't use it." Instead, they'd parted ways that night. Bellatrix had gone on to torture and murder, and Remus had run away, unable to face what he'd allowed to happen.

"So, you claimed to love me, but when I needed you, you weren't there?" Bellatrix drew in a breath, trying to calm her. "Why are you here?" She asked, "Why now? Why did you have to come and see me now?"

"It wasn't by choice Bella-" He began.

"Bellatrix. I am Bellatrix to you Lupin. You lost the right to call me Bella when you failed me." Bellatrix hissed, turning from the door of her cell and sitting down on her bed.

Remus rubbed his temple, "I couldn't kill you. I just couldn't. I wasn't strong enough to live in a world where you weren't a part of it. Now I have to live with the fact that because of that, two of my friends are trapped in St. Mungos and will never be able to have a conversation with their son." The cursing of the Longbottoms, not the deaths of the Potters had been what caused Remus to flee. He'd barely been able to be in the same classroom as Neville during his single year of teaching.

"I never touched them. That was my husband and brother in law along with Barty Crouch Jr. Who, by the way, hasn't been in his cell for weeks before his 'death'." Bellatrix said, "That's what I'm waiting on Director Bones for. I promised her some more insight into the Death Eaters." She began to pace in her cell, "Why are you here?" She repeated.

"I'm coming on behalf of the Order. One of our contacts in the DMLE has heard some of your information, and I wanted to see-" Again he was interrupted.

"You wanted to see if your former lover would tell you anything new? I have nothing for you, Remus. Not anymore." Bellatrix sighed and sat back down, "Please leave me. I...I don't wish to see you. Not now, not ever again."

She held her tears until after Remus left. Once he was gone, she managed to turn away from the door, watching him leave had been even harder the second time. Staring at her mattress, she let her mind wander.

 _Bellatrix was sure that she and Remus were supposed to be together. Two outcasts, one forced to be a Death Eater by a marriage contract, the other a werewolf. She had never broken his trust, never told anyone what he was. He had repaid that trust by failing her._

 _He'd loved her too much to grant her a merciful death. Which, to Bellatrix's mind meant that he hadn't loved her at all. She'd hated Rodolphus Lestrange, but that contract was signed in blood. Literally._

 _I promise you this Rodolphus...I will be free and when I am, I will make sure you and Rabastan see horrors before you are granted the mercy of death._ Bellatrix vowed as she blinked away the tears at seeing Remus once again.


	9. Chapter 9

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Nine. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Nine: Narcissa's exit strategy

Narcissa stood before her mirror. She applied her makeup with slightly trembling hands. Lucius, upon receiving a letter from Draco had struck her. Even now, she winced as she used her makeup to cover the bruised flesh under her left eye. Lucius had destroyed her collection of healing salves and magical foundation, forcing her to rely on her small supply of muggle makeup.

 _Crack! Lucius struck her across the cheek with the back of his hand, "You were seen with Potter! The plan was to be subtle! Being seen by everyone in Hogsmeade is not subtle!" Lucius said, his hand now on her throat, "When you get pregnant by that little cur, everyone will know! There's no scandal for him if everyone knows! The scandal is on you!" The hand on her throat threw her to the ground._

 _Lucius drew in a breath and began to pace, "You will need to back off for now. Give the idiots a chance to find a new shiny object. Hopefully, you've done enough that Potter will pine for you. You can send him letters, that will keep them from seeing you together." He spoke swiftly, forming plans to hold this current plan together, "We should be in the clear again by Yule if you do not ruin the plan again." With a final fit of rage, he used his wand to blast her makeup case by the vanity. "Clean yourself up. We have company coming soon." He said as he left her. Stunned, Narcissa had shakily risen, seeing the destruction of the lacquered box her mother had given her as a graduation present, she went under her bed and drew out a small much less ornate box. The one Lily Evans had given her during a charms study session over the summer holidays. This one had a small collection of muggle makeup._

 _Damn him..._ She thought as she drew in a breath looking at her face in the mirror. She had done the job of concealing the bruises. Not for the first time, Narcissa found herself thanking whatever powers exist that she was skilled enough with makeup to work essentially with out thinking. She hated her husband. More so now than she had ever hated him before. Before, he was just an idiot. But now? Now she was concerned that he would end up killing her. _No one betrays a Black..._ She fumed.

Decision made, she decided to draft a letter to Amelia Bones. She would send it to her via owl. Lucius would pay for his actions. _Once I have a way to keep myself out of the line of fire..._

Not for the first time, Narcissa wondered how different life would have been if she'd been married to James Potter. _He would have never raised a hand to Lily...of course, I'd probably be dead..._ That thought soured her musing. She hated Lucius, but if she'd been betrothed to James Potter, she would probably have died during the first war with Voldemort. _I wouldn't have fought, I'd have fled with whatever children we'd had...but I have little doubt I'd have been found eventually._

She'd seen, firsthand in some cases, just how dogged the Death Eaters were when it came to hunting the enemies of the Dark Lord. _There was nowhere I could have went...the Potters were under a Fidelius but even they had a betrayer in the form of Pettigrew._

She sighed and sat down at her desk. Drawing her quill, she began to jot down notes. Artifact after artifact, connection after connection. Everyone that she remembered from the old days that had managed to stay out of Azkaban. Every object her husband had kept in their vaults. By the time Narcissa was finished, she had three pages front-to-back.

She drew her wand and tapped it against the papers. Instantly the words vanished, hidden by her spell. _That should keep unwanted eyes from reading this..._ She thought as she put the papers into her desk and locked the drawer with her wand. She would move forward with her own plans as quickly as possible. _I'll send another letter to Potter if I make sure he knows of my mistreatment...the noble fool will be only too happy to 'rescue' me._

She looked down at her body, shrugging off the flimsy dressing gown she had been wearing she took stock. Pregnancy hadn't seemed to have affected overmuch. She was still reasonably trim, _and firm in the places that matter..._ She thought with a smirk. She was a very beautiful woman, though she was very nearly forty she looked ten years younger. She tried to imagine the first time Harry would see her naked. Would his bright green eyes shine with the delight of a boy unwrapping his birthday gift?

She believed so. She allowed her hands to run down the length of her stomach, stopping just below her navel. She imagined an older Harry, well trained in how to please her, pressing a kiss to that spot, swollen with their child.

Scene Break

Auror Nymphadora Tonks was right, Harry thought, he needed the padding on his pants. Each spell she cast seemed to work through his every defense. His own spells, on the other hand, never seemed to get through. That was the point of this lesson. She was teaching him mobility and, once that part was complete, his reward would be the shield charm.

Tonks grinned as she watched Harry get up from the ground for a sixth time, "Nicely done Potter. You very nearly dodged the whole spell-chain." She said as she moved from dueling position to a more relaxed stance, "Let's get something to drink and then come back to the lesson. I think you've earned a short break."

Harry rose, dusting himself off. He was exhausted, which meant the idea of catching his breath and drinking something cool was very welcomed. Tonks led him down the path towards the gate leading to Hogsmeade, "Wait, I can't go down to the village-"

"Calm down," Tonks said holding up a hand, "You are an official Auror escort, remember? If I needed to, I could take you to London and no one could say a word because it's my job to keep you students safe." She chuckled, "That might be a fun trip, I know you went with Aunt Cissy, but I could take you to London one day, maybe take you to see the nightclubs. You are a magically recognized adult now after all."

Tonks was a very interesting woman, Harry mused as they walked down the path to Hogsmeade. Being an Auror meant she had to be at least a little disciplined. But, behind Fred and George, she was probably one of the most carefree people he'd ever met. Right down to the way she'd teased him during their practice session.

" _Right then, I'm going to come at you like it's the last call, so you'd better be ready for me," Tonks called to him, sending a stream of colored lights at him._

 _Harry dodged the first set nimbly enough, but Tonks wasn't finished. Another jet of purple light streaked towards him. Harry threw himself away from it, but wasn't paying attention as a third streak, this one colored yellow, caught him in the chest._

" _Typical Auror tactic, stunner, disarming spell, stunner. Moody called it the 'strong-arm sandwich'." Tonks said once she'd woke him, "The goal is to keep the criminal off balance. So, you shoot a spell that they'll recognize and avoid, then another one a little lower and faster, and finally when they are distracted, you hit them with an Auror caliber variant. A typical stunner wears off after a half hour or so, an Auror grade stunner stays on you for a few hours depending on the strength of the caster. I remember Moody hitting me with one when I was a rookie...he left it on me and I didn't wake up for six hours."_

" _Sweet of him to give you that kind of rest..." Harry muttered as he took her hand and stood up. Up close, Harry was lost in her eyes for a moment before blinking and standing back._

 _Tonks grinned, "Moody is a very grumpy, rude, and irritating man. He is also one of the bravest, most loyal people, and probably the best teacher I've ever had." She went back over to her spot, "Listen to what he says and you've got more than just a shot at winning this thing."_

Harry blinked as the road turned and Hogsmeade came into view. He saw Sirius in his dog form trot out to greet them. Tonks scratched his head, "Well hello there, and how is my favorite mongrel today?" Sirius let out an irritated huff, causing Harry to laugh.

Tonks grinned at the sound, "Did you know when I was in fourth year, I didn't know if I wanted to be an Auror or to work at the joke shop here in the village? I made the mistake of mentioning to my mother. She thought it was a terrible idea. I mean she hates me being an Auror, but working at a joke shop-" Tonks shifted into a spitting image of her mother, "Oh Nymphadora, that's so undignified!" She said in an aristocratic tone before shifting back, "You can take the Black name from my mother, but you can't take the fanciness."

Harry looked at her, "How'd you do that?"

Tonks smirked and shifted into Harry's form, "Simple." She said in his own voice, "I'm a metamorphmagus. I can change my features without using a spell or potion. It's handy for my line of work. It does mean I can't ever become an animagus which stinks, but at least I always have the option of turning into my boss and giving myself a raise." Tonks then turned back into herself, "Neat huh?"

"I'll say it is." Harry exclaimed, "Just imagine all the trouble I could avoid if I could do that. Malfoy would be looking for me, and I'd look like someone else. I'd never have to bother with that little git ever again." The idea of being able to avoid the people he hated was a very, very tempting one. Even more than that, he wouldn't have to deal with Hermione's constant disapproval of everything he did.

They turned a corner heading down a different path towards the cave Sirius used as his hiding place. "Actually, before we get that drink, I thought I'd let my partner in teaching you spells give you some pointers," Tonks told him. Harry was confused until Sirius moved in front of him and shifted back into his human form.

"What? You knew he was-" Harry began, only to stop when Tonks held up her hand.

She nodded, "I knew the day I offered to teach you. He followed me, I gave him some of my sandwich. He brought me here and Bob's your uncle. Okay, I think your great-uncle was actually Charlus Potter, and your living uncle is that pig Dursley, but you get the idea." She said, "He gave me his Oath, that was good enough for me."

"It's true Pup. Dora is going to try and help me get my freedom." Sirius explained, "In the meantime, you and I are going to work on some curses. I have a bad feeling about what they are planning to put you through..."

Scene Break

That night Bellatrix lay on her cot, willing herself awake. If she slept she'd have dreams. She used to not have dreams, exposure to the Dementors kept that from being an issue. But now, free from them, she dreamed again.

 _It was always the same nightmare. The day Rodolphus found out about her affair with Remus Lupin. The worst day of her life. She'd woke up, a few weeks into their sham of a marriage feeling ill. The pattern had repeated daily until, sickened at the thought, she cast the revealing charm._

 _A soft blue light. She was pregnant. She hadn't allowed Rodolphus to touch her, which meant only one thing._

 _The baby inside her, her son, was the child of Remus Lupin._

 _Rodolphus had seen her cast the charm, hidden from her view. He had not been gentle. He had, in fact, subjected her to the cruciatus curse over and over again. He'd forced a miscarriage by torturing her._

Bellatrix blinked the tears out of her eyes.

Rage filled her. She would kill Rodolphus and Rabastan. She would take revenge for the son she never knew. She didn't know if she'd kill Remus for failing to kill her. A part of her, the part that been mostly dead for these past years, still yearned to kiss him again. But she didn't know if she could love him.

Amelia had told her that she would be moved to a cell at the Ministry. The information regarding Barty Crouch Jr had been deemed valuable. Barty Crouch Snr was now facing an investigation. If all went well, soon she would have a measure of freedom.

For whatever that would mean to her now.


	10. Chapter 10

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Ten. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Ten: Dragons? Really?

 _Fucks sake, Dragons? Of course it's fucking dragons, it would be dragons. It's not like Harry gets anything easy..._ Tonks grumbled to herself as she walked away from Charlie Weasley with Sirius in his dog form by her side. She'd been getting some food for herself, as well as for her cousin, when she'd heard a familiar voice calling her name.

" _Tonks! Oi Tonks! Wait a tic!" Charlie cried as he rushed up to her side. He looked mostly the same, thick-necked and stoutly muscular. He took more from the Prewett side of his family, she remembered him telling her. Wrangling dragons meant that the shorter, stouter frame of Charlie worked to his favor. He enveloped Tonks in a hug, "How's my favorite Auror? Who's this?" He said looking down at Sirius._

" _I'm in charge of security for the Tournament, making sure that the crowds stay behind the wardlines, things like that. This is Snuffles, he's been following me around the village since I got here before the Tournament was officially announced." Tonks said, "What brings a Dragon Wrangler to Scotland? Given why I'm here I can only assume it's the same reason." She really hoped she was wrong. Dragons would be an awful test for teenagers to deal with._

" _Right in one Tonksie. I've got four of them, one for each. Devil's own luck to the bugger who gets the Horntail. She's the meanest one of the lot. Took Marle's hand off transporting her, luckily it was the fake hand anyway. She was still right pissed about it." Charlie chuckled, "You want to come see them?" He offered her._

 _Tonks nodded, thinking to herself that it would be a good idea to see the dragons, so she could warn Harry. "That sounds great Charlie, d'you think Snuffles can come along, or would he spook your flame-breathing friends?" She asked the Dragonologist._

 _Charlie bent and scratched the dog's ears, "I think he'll be fine Tonks, come on..." He led her back through the woods._

 _There they were. Each in a large cage, four brooding mother dragons. She looked at each one, beside her Sirius in his dog form let out a low whine. "Fuck me Charlie...they want teenagers to get past these?" She said absently as she watched the Welsh Green hiss in warning at one of the other wranglers who was bringing it food in the form of a particularly unlucky sheep._

" _They aren't so bad Tonks," Charlie said soothingly, just as the sheep bleated its last, "Okay, they are a little riled, they are mothers after all...but all they have to do is get the fake egg we're going to plant."_

 _Fucking dragons..._ Tonks found herself thinking again. Sirius looked up to her and whined, "Trust me, I know...how the hell do we keep him from getting roasted?" She walked towards the cave Sirius had claimed as his own, "We've got to figure out what to do for Harry. Maybe I have enough time to teach him some kind of transfiguration...maybe turn a boulder into a cow or something...nah, Dragons go for scents, it wouldn't believe the thing was real."

Sirius shifted back into his normal self, "I had a thought, a sticking charm. He could get a long stick and stick the egg to it." He sighed and sat down on a rock, "But that would be awkward for him to do that and try to run.."

"It's hopeless, isn't it? All the usual methods for dealing with a dragon won't work because it's one wizard on his own." Tonks said, her hair turning dull brown. "No, there's got to be something..."

"I know one thing we could try..." Sirius said slowly, "I used it when I was cross the country, scent canceling charms work fairly well against most dragons. We could teach him that...that would handle the dragon smelling him-"

"And an obscuring charm could keep it from seeing him." Tonks finished, "They won't let him use anything to act as a blind, so he'll have to use a charm to hide."

Sirius chuckled, "Not if Harry uses a summoning charm to bring his Invisibility Cloak to himself." That comment drew a wide eye from Tonks.

"He has a Invisibility Cloak? How bloody rich were the Potters?" Tonks said startled, _Morgana's perky nips, if he can afford one of those, I've got to get his eye by the time he's old enough to marry._ Tonks could imagine a life of luxury as Mrs. Potter. She'd keep her job as an Auror of course, she wouldn't be a trophy wife, but she would like a few comforts. _Nothing too fancy, maybe just a private Weird Sisters concert on my birthday..._ She thought with a little grin, "Right, I'll go warn Harry. I'll bring him here and we'll start work on training him." She said turning to leave the cave, "Here's hoping we keep him alive..."

Scene Break

Harry and Fleur were studying together when he heard the voice of Tonks. "Harry, can I talk to you in private?" She said to him. This had been the first time Tonks had been up close to Fleur Delacour. Being so close to the blonde-haired witch brought to the surface flashes of older versions of the two witches commiserating over the loss of the man they cared for. "You know what Blondie, you can stay, it involves you too. First task is dragons. There'll be a fake egg among the real ones. So, you'll want to want to work on strategies for avoiding it."

"Dragons?" Harry and Fleur said at the same time. Had Harry the ability to speak French, he would have probably joined Fleur in the stream of inventive profanity that came from her mouth. As for Harry, he just looked pale.

"A dragon. I have to try and fight a dragon. I have to try and get past a giant fire-breathing lizard. Moody was right they are trying to kill me." He said. At that moment, Tonks could see him as the scared teenager he was. She sighed and drew him into a hug. This served the dual purposes of comforting him and letting her speak quietly in his ear.

"Don't give up yet. Sirius and I have a plan for you. Come to his cave tonight. I know you know how to sneak out." She said to him before breaking the hug, "I'll see you later Harry." She gave a little wink to Fleur, "Blondie." Turning on her heel, Tonks left the pair.

"A dragon..." Harry sat back down beside Fleur, "Well, I wonder if Ron will think I did this intentionally now? I can tell him 'of course I did, it's not like I wanted to live...I'd much rather deal with an angry mother dragon'..." He sighed and rubbed his temples, "You know most fourteen-year-olds are concerned about pimples...not fire-breathing monsters."

"Oui," Fleur replied, "When I was fourteen- no it's stupid.." She sighed, then looked over at Harry. Seeing the curious look in his eyes, she spoke again, "At fourteen, I still hadn't hit my Veela puberty. I still looked very young. I remember yelling into my pillow that if I didn't wake up with breasts I was going to set my room on fire...Maman did not approve of that."

Harry chuckled, "I'll bet she didn't. Last year I accidentally turned Vernon's sister Marge into a balloon..." That led him into a talk about his third year, omitting the parts that involved Sirius. He liked Fleur's company, but he wasn't ready to share his deepest secrets with her.

"So, you learned how to cast the Patronus charm? May I see?" Fleur asked him. Harry nodded and stood up. Drawing his wand, he concentrated on a happy memory. Normally, he chose a memory having to do with the moment he discovered magic. Today though, he couldn't get a memory out of his mind of holding a baby whose hair swirled from pink to brown to black.

" _This is Teddy..." Tonks said softly handing the baby to him, "Remus and I wanted to know if you would be his Godfather..."_

 _Harry looked at the baby in his arms. He'd never felt anything like he had at this moment. Teddy was small and warm and he looked up at Harry with confusion in his eyes, eyes that swirled from brown to green. Eventually, he settled on pink hair and green eyes. From behind him, Tonks let out a soft pained gasp._

 _Teddy looked like a blend of the two of them._

 _At that moment, Harry knew that, since he probably wouldn't survive this war, Teddy would become his heir._

" _I'd love to..."_

" **EXPECTO PATRONUM!** " Harry shouted Fleur watched as a silver mist poured from his wand. It solidified into a stag, stepping towards them. Harry had never seen his Patronus so solid before. He reached out and Prongs put its head under his hand.

"Amazing Harry..." Fleur said softly, "I've heard that the strength of a Patronus is based on the strength of the memory. May I ask what brought that out?" Prongs moved from Harry to Fleur. It bowed to her before slowly fading from their view.

"I...something that hasn't happened. I saw myself holding a baby. The woman who just left, Tonks...it was her baby. She asked me to be his Godfather...but when I held him, it felt like...like he was mine." Harry said, picturing that baby in his arms, "At that moment...I've never loved anyone more than I loved that infant."

"Harry...the connection we share...have you ever pictured us with a baby?" Fleur knew the answer. No. In her visions of that Fleur, she knew that she'd been a coward. She'd never had children. That didn't stop her at this moment from picturing a blonde daughter in his arms.

"I...no. Besides one kiss I saw in my dreams..I've never seen the two of us together." Harry sighed and sat back down beside her, "It's bizarre...it's like I'm trying to put together a puzzle, but the pieces are in another box and half of those are missing."

"I understand. If you are willing, I would like to write to my mother about our...connection. Perhaps there's something she will know." Fleur offered. Harry nodded, perhaps an outside eye would help.

Scene Break

"So, Crouch Sr got his son out by switching his wife for him..." Amelia rubbed her temples as she looked at the woman across from her.

Bellatrix nodded, "He did. Barty was one of the most loyal servants. If he's out there, then there's no way he isn't serving the Dark Lord." She'd always hated Barty Crouch Jr. Barty had been one of the Death Eaters who'd she'd been paired with often. Her hatred was a good match for his cruelty and many defenseless muggles had known the combination of their talents.

"Remus Lupin came to see me. Who let him in?" Bellatrix asked her after a moment, finally voicing the question that had been eating at her, "Seeing him was not something I wished to do then or ever again."

Amelia looked at her papers, hiding her eyes, "He was sent at the request of Albus Dumbledore. Apparently, the two of you were close once and he'd hoped that seeing him would elicit something in you." The truth was that Amelia had allowed Remus hoping that he'd mention something about Sirius.

"Do not let him back here. We did not part well." Bellatrix said softly, her voice an emotionless mask hiding the pain inside her, "Remus Lupin is a coward and weak. If Albus Dumbledore wishes to know something then he should come himself. Better still, he should send Sirius..."

"How could Albus get Sirius here without him being arrested?" Amelia asked, "That doesn't make sense."

"Albus still has his phoenix I assume. Your wards can't stop a phoenix, nor anyone he's with." Bellatrix replied, "I will not answer any questions brought to me by Lupin." She looked away for a moment, "He was supposed to save me...save us both."

"What?" Amelia asked, confused as to what she meant, "Was he also a Death Eater?"

Bellatrix shook her head, "No. Until that night I thought he was the bravest man in the world." She smiled sadly, "I loved him, loved him enough to make a request of him. To buy a draught of poison. I asked him to kill me the night I found that I couldn't escape my marriage any other way."

"You asked him to kill you?"

Bellatrix nodded, "He was supposed to put it in my food. We made love that night and then he made tagine for us. Lamb with dates. I took one bite and knew the truth. We parted ways that night. My husband found out the truth shortly after that night...he was not happy that I spurred his bed, especially not for a werewolf." Bellatrix absently touched her stomach, "He cursed me. He killed my soul more surely than any of your Dementors ever could. He took the light from my heart and all I had left was darkness. I never killed in His name...I killed in another's."

"Whose?"

"Cygnus Antares Black." Was all Bellatrix said as she gazed down at her stomach.


	11. Chapter 11

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Eleven. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Eleven: Regent Black

Harry made his way down the path with Tonks. She was taking him back to the cave where Sirius was waiting on them. Tonks' hair was a dull silver at the moment, a shade she had told him meant she was annoyed with him. The reason for the annoyance was sitting in his pocket. The letter from Narcissa had arrived today.

Tonks was fuming silently, her silvery hair making her displeasure known, Harry was going to help her aunt get out of her marriage. _Mum's told me enough about Aunt Cissy. Ever since I told her about Harry becoming the Champion and Auntie showing up ready to make a Lord out of him she's come to see me more times than when I first moved out..._ Andromeda didn't trust her younger sister, didn't trust either sister, not after being kicked from the family, and she had told Tonks to be very wary. _"Narcissa is one of the smartest witches I've ever known. If she's doing something, there's a reason. There is always a reason."_

But Harry was adamant that he was going to go through with this. Thus, the reason for her silvery hair and downturned mouth. He knew that fulfilling the bargain he'd made was important. She'd provided him with the means of escaping the Dursleys. The least he could do was send a message to Sirius on her behalf.

Sirius met them in his dog form before shifting back to his normal stance, "So, why is my little cousin Nymphie looking so upset? You didn't grab her arse on the way down did you?" Sirius joked to Harry.

"No...she's mad because of this-" Harry presented the letter to Sirius, "Narcissa Malfoy gave me this for you." Sirius looked at the letter briefly and then tossed it aside into the cave.

"Cissy wants to be freed from her marriage. In order to do it, she wants me to go to Gringotts. In the middle of London. She must be barking." Sirius said, "Still, she did say 'please'...I have a better idea. Instead of letting her in free and clear, I'm going to make her work for it."

"What are you on about?" Tonks asked him, "What do you mean 'make her work for it'?"

Sirius laughed and drew out a piece of parchment from his robes. He set it down on a large flat stone and took out a small black quill. As he scrawled onto the parchment Harry noticed he winced slightly. After a moment Sirius pocketed the quill and folded the paper, "There we are. After our little training session, be a dear and escort our Mr. Potter here to the bank for me." He handed the parchment to Tonks.

"What did you do?" Harry and Tonks both asked at the same time.

Sirius grinned, "Something I had already planned on doing. Harry is now the Lord Presumptive for House Black. I've withdrawn my claim on the House and once that is filed, Harry will be the one who makes all the decisions regarding marriages." Sirius drew his wand and took a stance. "Since I've probably done something that will make Harry, and possibly you as well Nymphie, very angry once he figures it all out, how about we start with a duel?"

Scene Break

Fleur sat in her carriage composing a letter to her mother.

 _Maman,_

 _I hope all is well at home. I am writing because I know what the first challenge will be._

 _Dragons._

 _I was training with one of the other Champions. By now I am quite sure you know that Harry Potter is a Tri-Wizard Champion, (whether from Madame sending word to you, or Evangeline sending word to her parents) but he and I have been studying together._

 _Maman, I wish to ask you about a bond that he and I seem to share. If possible, could you come to the village of Hogsmeade in Scotland to speak with both of us? I don't understand what it is I feel when I am with him, or when I think of him. I see things, what they are I cannot say, they feel like memories, but they are of times that haven't happened yet. Needless to say, neither Harry nor I are sure what to make of it._

 _With love,_

 _Fleur_

Fleur folded the letter and stuffed it into an envelope. She would go later to the Hogwarts Owlry and drop it off with one of the school owls. In the meantime, she needed to review her plans for the first task. _Dragons. Evangeline was lucky that she didn't get chosen. Still, I am the Champion of Beauxbatons and I will not shirk from my place._

She opened her Charms textbook. Dragons, she knew, were resistant to most offensive spells, barring a direct hit to the eyes. That meant she needed to work around their senses rather than trying to damage them. _Grandmere's sleeping charm could work...I believe I remember the chant for it._ She nodded to herself. If she made the dragon fall asleep then it was a simple matter to take the egg and bolt before the beast awoke.

The door opened and Evangeline stepped inside, sitting down on the bed she slammed the door shut with her wand before releasing a blistering stream of curses in both French and English. "What is wrong?" Fleur asked her.

Evangeline glared at her hands, "One of the Hogwarts students, Pucey, I think his name was, plays for the Slytherin Quidditch team, he tried to get me alone in the Transfiguration corridor. When I refused, he-" another muttered epithet, "he said that I should feel lucky he'd ever deigned to speak with me, called me a tease." She looked down at her robes, "I don't think I'm wearing anything too revealing."

"You aren't. Fools like that always look for an excuse, no matter how flimsy." Fleur said to her cousin, "What happened then?"

Here, Evangeline smiled, "One of their Professors, Moody, appeared and grabbed Pucey by the collar. He dragged him towards the dungeons shouting at him for all to hear." She laughed softly, her former fury vanishing at the memory, "Apparently, Pucey has volunteered himself to be the practice dummy for his years class."

Fleur liked that idea, "Good. Someone like that deserves punishment. Pity Magical Britain is so behind the times. He would be sent home if we were at Beauxbatons." The attitudes of the English magical society annoyed her greatly. Evangeline knew that the only reason her parents had met was that Peter Prewett had needed to flee his parents. Had Magical Britain been more progressive in its treatment of squibs, he would have never met Genevieve Lalaurie and thus, she would have never been born. As she rather liked being born, she'd never railed against the system in her father's homeland.

Her cousin, Fleur, on the other hand, had lived a reasonably happy life as the eldest daughter of a high ranking Ministry official. She had been the product of two French citizens, where Evangeline was the result of two lost souls one French, one English. Her mother had needed Peter Prewett as much as Peter had needed Genevieve Lalaurie. _The system is far less than perfect, but I literally wouldn't be here otherwise..._ She thought as she looked down at the book Fleur had opened.

She leaned against the wall, kicking her shoes off, "Charms against your dragon eh? Which one are you looking at?" Evangeline asked as she pulled her stocking off and tossed them into the basket beside her own bed.

"Grand-mere Celestine's sleeping charm...will you help me practice it?" Fleur asked her cousin, "I believe I remember the chant, but I want to make sure." Celestine Dubois had been a genius when it came to infusing her magic with her own innate abilities as a Veela. This charm used her Allure to bolster its magic, thus increasing its effect. _She'd used it when Grandpapa Alain had trouble sleeping after the war..._ Fleur recalled. She'd never met her grandfather Alain Dubois, he'd died a few years after her mother was born, but she'd heard enough stories about his exploits in the French resistance against Grindelwald.

"Sure, why not. I could use a nap." Evangeline said, leaning comfortably on her cousin's bed.

Fleur drew her wand and pointed it at the other witch, " _Sleep then, close thine eyes. Rest thy head and dream thine dreams. Sleep then, the day is done. Thine task complete, thine own work is done._ " She chanted in a soft voice. A soft white mist poured from her wand, Fleur concentrated, pushing her innate magic into it and watched as a soft rose color began to swirl within the white. The mist enveloped Evangeline and Fleur suppressed a smile as her cousin dropped to the bed snoring lightly almost instantly.

Scene Break

Narcissa looked at the small envelope that had arrived thanks to a tawny owl. _"The Regent of House Black requests your presence at Gringotts to discuss your annulment."_ She smiled and pocketed the letter before going to retrieve the letter for Amelia Bones. "Sirius is calling himself Regent Black, I wonder why?" She thought as she drew her wand to apparate into London.

At Gringotts, she was greeted, not by Sirius, which she'd expected. He was still wanted after all. But finding Harry and a very surly Nymphadora Tonks was not what she'd expected. "Harry, where is he? Is he waiting for us?" She asked him, her excitement evident in her eyes.

Harry looked at her, "He...declined to come personally. Instead he...well-"

Tonks interrupted him, "Harry is the Regent Black. Our mutual cousin named him this morning." At the calculating glint in Narcissa's eyes, she continued, "I'm here to make sure that all you get is removed from the Malfoy family and inducted back into the Black family. No pawing the fourteen-year-old, got it?"

"I hardly think, Nymphadora, that Harry needs to worry about me, as you say 'pawing him'." Narcissa said with a slightly raised brow, "In fact, you could stand to gain from this as well. How would you like to be my messenger to Director Bones? I have something for her regarding my soon to be former husband." Narcissa patted a pocket on the side of her robe.

"We can deal with that later Auntie." Tonks said, moving closer to Harry, "For now let's hear why Harry should let you in." She raised an eyebrow in challenge.

Narcissa, to Tonks' surprise, looked calm in the face of her questioning, "Lucius hit me. He's done it before. If I go back to him I will break the Marriage Contract by killing him. That will also kill me."

Tonks scoffed, "And I'm sure that Lucius wouldn't-"

"Do you know what happened? When your mother was removed from the family? Bellatrix killed Aunt Walburga for it. That was when she was placed under the compulsion charm that bound her to Lestrange." Narcissa said lowly, "I had nowhere to go. My letters were interdicted by Mother. I was trapped by the wards until Lucius arrived." She pointed her finger, pressing it into Tonks' chest, "Andromeda was the only one of us that managed to free herself." She stepped back and drew her wand, vanishing the makeup and revealing the fading bruise. "Lucius struck me after I took Harry to London."

Tonks let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. She'd had that dream once, Bellatrix telling her about killing Walburga. _That actually happened?_ She thought, her hair flashing from silver to lemon yellow in shock. "He hit you?" She asked Narcissa,

"Yes," Narcissa replied, "He normally preferred magical 'punishment'. But this time he decided that a more lasting reminder would be appropriate." She flicked her wand letting the bruise hide again.

"Why didn't you heal the bruise?" Tonks asked then.

Narcissa frowned, "He checks my wand. He doesn't like me using spells that he didn't permit." She looked at Harry, "So, what must I do to earn my annulment?"

Harry thought for a moment, "Are you still prepared to act as my Seneschal?" When Narcissa nodded he continued, "Then that's all I need. Come on, we'll do it now."

Harry was led by Narcissa and Tonks to the counter, "What do you want?" The goblin asked them.

"Regent Black." Narcissa said taking Sirius' paper from Harry's hand and thrusting it at the goblin, "would like to move the dowry of Narcissa Black from the Malfoy vault to the Black vault."

The teller looked at the paper for a moment and then to them, "And has Narcissa Black's marriage been annulled?"

Harry moved closer to the counter, "I am prepared to annul it now."

The teller raised an eyebrow and drew out a piece of parchment, "Very well Regent Black. Sign this on the x's." He thrust a black quill at Harry. Harry recognized the quill as the same kind Sirius had used back at the cave. Harry picked up the quill and began to write with it. He felt a tingle on the back of his hand, then the tingle became a scratch as if someone was running a fingernail on the back of his hand. The ink that came from the quill was a bright crimson, almost like blood.

There were nineteen different places for Harry to sign. By the end of it, he saw his name on the back of his hand like a faint scar. "Blood quill scars don't fade unless you put murtlap essence on them." Tonks told him, "We'll get a bottle while we're out."

Harry passed the parchment back to the teller. The goblin looked at it and then stamped it, "Very well. This will be passed onto Account Manager Goldtooth. All monies will be transferred to the proper vault by the end of the business day. Is there anything else you require?" He asked them.

"Yes. We need to speak to the Potter Account Manager." Narcissa said, "Heir Potter needs to open his grandparent's estate."

The goblin nodded and pressed a button under his desk, "Room three-sixty-nine." He said before going back to ignoring them. Narcissa took Harry's hand and led him and Tonks down to the hallway.

They were met at room three-sixty-nine by the account manager, "You wish to reopen Potter Manor in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire?" He asked them, "Very well. Sign on the x's." He passed Harry another sheet with several x's a now familiar quill.

 _Ruddy goblins...they make us sign our names so many times so they can watch us carve our hands up..._ Tonks thought as she watched him make his way through the paperwork. "Very well Heir Potter. Your place of residence is marked by Gringotts as Number Nine Cromwell Street. Here is the apparation point for your manor." The goblin passed a small, tattered map to him. "If you would prefer it, the floo is open now that you have claimed residency."

Harry pocketed the map, "We'll use the floo this time." He said to the goblin, "Thank you for your time." With that, the trio made their way to the lobby and then to the Alley. "The nearest public floo is at the Leaky Cauldron isn't it?" He asked them.

"It is." Narcissa said, the events of the afternoon pounding in her mind, "Come along then." Once at the Leaky Cauldron, they went to the floo. A pinch of dust and a cry of 'Number Nine Cromwell Street', and they were off to Potter Manor.


	12. Chapter 12

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twelve. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Twelve: Potter Manor

Arriving at the Manor, Harry noticed something; it reeked of old cabbage. In fairness, it probably wasn't cabbage, but then that led him to wonder what the smell was. "Cor, what a pong in this place!" Tonks said beside him, her noise muffled as she quickly put her hand over her nose and mouth.

Beside him, on the other side, Narcissa looked unaffected, "This is an old house and it hasn't been properly maintained as there have been no Potters here since Fleamont died." She began waving her wand. As she did so, Harry heard the windows in the Manor open and with another gesture, she sent a gust of air through the halls. "Nymphadora, you should know the clearing charm, so please assist me." She directed Tonks, as they began to walk inside.

"This place will need to be updated. The wards are strong, but the furnishings are in dire need of replacing." Narcissa said, more to herself than anyone else, "This is the new home of House Potter, it needs to be seen as such." She looked disapprovingly at an overstuffed chair, "We need to prepare this Manor, with Harry's status as Heir Potter and Regent Black, we will host an event, possibly over the summer."

Harry looked at Narcissa, thanks to her wandwork the house no longer smelled so musty and stale, "What sort of an event?" He asked her curiously.

"A ball, most likely. Some sort of gala to allow our society to meet you in the proper way." She said before stopping them before a set of double doors, "This will be the parlor if I'm not misremembering."

"You've been here?" Tonks asked her. Tonks had kept her wand out, this Manor had been well warded, it was true, but she was trained by a very paranoid man.

"When I was a girl." Narcissa said as she went to the door, "My father brought me to spend some time with James Potter when he had business with the Potter family. I always hated it. James Potter never stopped until he'd stuck my shoes together so I had to waddle to my father." She sighed and then chuckled softly, "When I was twelve he stuck my shoes to the first step. Luckily, by then my sister Bella had taught me a spell, I gave him swollen bollocks. Not for the last time either. He learned to mind himself after that."

For the first time, Tonks laughed. Harry joined in at that, "Sirius has told me a few stories about my dad. That sounds about right." Narcissa smirked and then pulled the doors open, leading them into the parlor.

It was a large, open room. It reminded Harry a great deal of the Gryffindor Common Room. Red and gold patterned chairs lined the walls, but on each table sat a silver lamp with a green shade. On the wall by the fireplace hung a portrait of the old wizard Harry remembered seeing in the Mirror of eriseD, beside him stood a tall, elegant witch in a green dress. "Well now, I can tell you're a Potter, but I'm not sure of whose Potter you are." The old man said, rubbing his glasses on his robes and putting them back on, "My word, you look just like James..."

"H-he was my father. I'm Harry Potter..." Harry said to the portrait, "This is Ny- Tonks," He amended his introduction when he caught a flash of bright red beside him.

"Tonks...Sirius' cousin Andromeda married a Tonks, didn't she 'phemia?" The old man asked the woman beside him.

"I believe so Flea," She said to him, "She came to visit before we died with an infant. Wanted to let Sirius meet his newest cousin." She then turned her attention to them once more, "Terribly sorry, we got distracted. Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, at your service. We are your grandparents."

Harry was quiet for a moment, "I- I don't know what to say...meeting you, even like this..it it doesn't feel real yet." It didn't. Seeing his grandparents, admittedly painted versions, stunned him. He felt an arm go around him, looking over, he saw Tonks. She gave him a soft smile and Harry felt a reassuring warmth inside of him.

"Cor! We've got company for the first time since you two died, brill!" Came a voice from behind them. Turning Harry saw a young man, a little older than him leaning against the gilded frame of his own portrait. Harry at first thought it was an enchanted mirror the young man looked so much like him. Then he saw Narcissa with a small frown.

"Hello, James..." She said to the portrait, before turning to Harry, "Harry, this is what I am to assume is the fifteen?" When James nodded she continued, "The fifteen-year-old self of James Charlus Potter."

"Cissy, you look-" James began but halted when she drew her wand.

"Say anything other than 'beautiful' and I will set your portrait on fire before you get a chance to meet your son. Also, it's Narcissa." She said in an even tone.

"Beautiful. Right. That was it." He said quickly, "Now, what are you on about? I have a son? How long has it been since someone has come here?"

"The elder Potters died in the late seventies. You and Lily died in eighty-one." Narcissa explained to the portrait. She saw the look of confusion in his painted features, "I am sorry James."

"I died? Wait, Lily- I had a kid with Evans?" Sorrow turned swiftly to happiness, "Brill! She was the most beautiful bird in our year!" James pumped his fist then grew more serious, "But we died? What happened?"

"It's...a long story...um dad...it all begins on Halloween nineteen eighty-one," Harry said as he began to tell his own father the story of how he and his mother died.

Scene Break

Bellatrix had found that she was missing her insanity. At least then she knew what her nightmares would be about. Having seen Remus for the first time in nearly two decades, she couldn't stop thinking back to the day she learned she was trapped.

" _Isn't there something you can do father?" Bellatrix beseeched Cygnus Black, "I cannot marry Rodolphus!"_

" _I am sorry my dear. The contract was not drafted by my hand. It was drafted by Orion." Cygnus did sound sad. Everyone that knew Cygnus Black knew that the youngest Black loved his daughters dearly. But he was not a forceful man and when Druella Black nee Rosier joined forces with Walburga and Orion to draft the three marriage contracts he'd been unable to affect them._

 _Bellatrix left her home that night, to seek solace somewhere else, anywhere else. She was seventeen and the contract had to be enforced by the time she was twenty. She'd found herself in a muggle pub. Ordinarily, she would have been on edge. Muggles were dangerous in groups, she'd been told that many times._

 _Then she met him. He was obviously too young to be in the pub, but he had managed to buy a pint. She sat down beside him and ordered her own. She flicked her eyes over to him, he had sandy brown hair and a trio of scars on his face. "So, what brings you out on a school night?" She asked him._

" _It's not- I mean- oh damn!"He stuttered before looking at her and then back at his pint, "J-just trying to get away for a while." He said quietly._

 _She nodded and sipped her own, wincing at the bitter taste of the stout she'd purchased. "I recognize you, I think. You're one of Sirius' friends aren't you?" She asked him after a moment._

 _For a second, Remus was distracted by the trace of foam on her lip, "I uh..yes. Remus. Remus Lupin."_

" _Bellatrix Black."_

 _They didn't shake hands, instead, she tapped her glass to his, "So what does bring you out then?"_

 _He sighed and drained the pint, "My mother died recently. My father buried her, but that was the last of our vault to do it. I'm getting a summer job with a construction team pouring concrete."_

" _I'm sorry about your mother," Bellatrix said quietly. For a time they were both silent, but little by little they would talk. Little by little, she would realize that she'd fallen in love with him._

Bellatrix hated everything about love now. She hated the fact that even now, Remus Lupin had the power to destroy her. She'd known from the moment she'd laid eyes on him in that pub that there was something special about him. Rolling onto her back she looked down at her stomach, _Cygnus Antares...you were too good for the world you would have been born into... You would have been the most perfect child to ever grace this unworthy existence of ours._ From time to time, particularly in low moments, Bellatrix had thought about the child she had carried. Wondering what he would have looked like. The Black genes run strong, she knew, so most likely Cygnus Antares Black would have had her dark hair, but perhaps his fathers warm, brown eyes. Would they have married if it had been possible? Most likely, she knew. She believed him when he'd told her that he had been unable, rather than unwilling to kill her. But that didn't change the fact that she knew she would have killed him if their places had been reversed.

Dawn was breaking and she knew Amelia was coming to see her again. With the Aurors looking for Barty Crouch junior, Bellatrix's information had become vital to that search. Bellatrix knew she could parlay that into better treatment, perhaps even her freedom...

Freedom...now there was an enticing thought. As a free woman, she could begin trying to rebuild. Especially if she could convince Sirius to annul her marriage. If she was Bellatrix Black once more then there was nothing that could stop her from returning as a visitor and poisoning the two men who caused her the most pain. _Perhaps the Aurors would grumble if I killed two of their prisoners, but that would be worth it..._

That thought caused a smile that would have reminded an observer of the Bellatrix Lestrange the world knew.

Scene Break

Apolline's letter came sooner than Fleur had anticipated. That was good. It meant that she didn't need to wait for a reply longer than the three days she had waited. She looked at the paper in her hands, it smelled of Apolline's favorite perfume, beside it, contained within the envelope, had been a small leather-bound book.

 _Daughter,_

 _I believe I know part of your concern. It seems to me that you and Harry Potter are connected by magic. It is the beginnings of a mating bond. For whatever reason, you and Harry seem to be connected, and curiously fast. I will save my motherly questions for when we arrive for your first task. Maxime has sent word regarding it and I do hope you are prepared._

 _The part of your letter that concerns me the most is the part regarding these 'memories of a time that hasn't happened'. I will confess that it has concerned me enough that I asked your father to reach out to a colleague at the Departement des Mysteres. Included in his letter is a book containing the best theory Indicible Mureau had. She believes that something may have happened in another life and that event has sent ripples into your current life._

 _Talk to him. If the theory is correct, whatever happened before could happen again if you do not watch the signs. If the theory is incorrect, then you are still most likely bonding with each other._

 _With love,_

 _Mother._

Fleur sighed and then set the letter down and reached for the book. _Recursion: Treatise on the phenomenon of life repeating by Cersum Perfico._ She read the title silent before opening it.

Then she set it down. _This is incomprehensible!_ She thought looking at the book as if it had insulted her family. It wasn't a large book, in fact, it was thinner than some of her notebooks back home. But the type was tiny and the spacing was nearly nonexistent. The author, an Italian researcher into time and reality altering magics, was known as either a genius or an insane fool, depending on who you spoke with. She'd read a brief biography about him during her fifth-year History of Magic course.

 _Could he be my bond-mate?_ That was a thought that Fleur had experienced more than once. She could admit to herself that she found him handsome. Their time with the piano in the Gryffindor Common Room had told her that he has much more than the little boy she had believed to be. _At the very least, I should be open to it. I will discuss it with him after the task..._

That brought the task back to her mind. Getting past a dragon. She'd practiced her sleeping charm each night on Evangeline. She knew it was ready. The question was; would Fleur herself be ready?

She hoped so. After all, she had no one to rely on when she faced the dragon but herself. That was the point after all when you face the tasks of the tournament, you face them alone.

Evangeline came back into the carriage, "So, scuttlebutt is that Harry Potter vanished to who-knows-where. That girl that is always following him, Granger I think her name is, has been tearing around the school looking for him." She sat on her bed and began to kick her shoes off. Once the shoes and stockings her removed, she flicked her wand at a basin and summoned it. With the addition of a water making and a heating charm, Evangeline had a hot water bath for her feet.

"You know, if you used your magic for things besides your own comfort," Fleur said with a grin, "you'd be a formidable witch." It was true that Evangeline Lalaurie was skilled, but it was equally true that the only things she seemed to care about were her own personal needs.

"You are just jealous...not everyone can control their heating charms enough to make a perfect hot bath for their aching feet. Besides, I want to paint my toenails tonight, and I can't do that if my feet are all hot and sweaty." Evangeline said as she enjoyed the water soothing the soreness from her feet. "So, I see a letter beside you, what did Aunt Apolline have for you?"

"Harry and I may be bond-mates. We may also be experiencing echoes of a life we haven't lived yet..or possibly ever...it's confusing. Maman sent me a book, but I swear I almost had a nosebleed getting past the opening paragraph." Fleur said, watching as her cousin washed her feet in the hot water before applying a drying charm on them and reaching for her polish of choice, in this case, a soft blue, and painting her nails.

"Well if you are the destined wife of Harry Potter, you might as well look into merchandising. You could make a fortune off Potter-Delacour wedding memorabilia." Evangeline said with a grin, "Just picture it; stuffed bears, one with glasses and a scar and the other one with blond hair and the air of smug superiority." She teased her cousin.

It should be noted that for all her laziness and irresponsibility, Evangeline Lalaurie was fairly athletic. Normally she could dodge a pillow hurled at her. Normally. But when Fleur was throwing two pillows while she was painting her nails?

Thus began the Lalaurie-Delacour pillow fight. A fight whose tactics and nigh-illegal use of towel snapping would one day be known as the pillow fight to be studied as an exemplar of its kind. When it was over, and both sides retreated to their corners panting and giggling, it was clear that Fleur would have little trouble dodging the flames of an angry dragon...provided they were stuffed with goose down and were embroidered with sunbursts.


	13. Chapter 13

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Thirteen. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Thirteen: Harry meets the Horntail

The time had passed as Harry prepared for the first task. Since going to the Manor last week, he'd found that Narcissa had appointed herself in charge of his timetable. Between leaving the Manor and returning to Hogsmeade, stopping only for the murtlap essence he needed to remove the scar from signing his paperwork, and his normal class schedule, Harry had been training nearly nonstop with Tonks and Sirius. He'd ended up insisting on 'piano time' just so that he could take a rest.

Professor Moody had suggested using his strengths, that had led him to suggest the summoning charm to Tonks and Sirius.

" _I could summon my broomstick and try to outfly the dragon. It shouldn't be that hard...I mean they aren't going to let them fly off." Harry suggested as he explained his plan._

 _Tonks and Sirius shared a look and then Tonks cuffed him on the side of the head, "Dragons. Breath. Fire." She said slowly as if dealing with an imbecile. "Your broomstick is made of wood. Wood is flammable."_

" _So, what do you think I should try?"_

That was what led him to this moment. He was practicing a banishment charm on a small rock in the Courtyard while Tonks looked on. Each stone raced out towards the wall and then he used the summoning charm to draw it back. "Excellent work Harry, now try putting a sticking charm on the stone before summoning it. I want to see if you can pick up another stone at the same time." Tonks said from her seat by the wall.

Harry lifted his wand and banished the stone, this time applying the sticking charm when it landed. When he summoned it, the stone was covered in pebbles from the ground where the stone had fallen.

Tonks clapped in delight, "Excellent! Now you can do the same thing with the dragon. Banish the stone to the egg and cast the sticking charm, then summon the stone and the egg back to yourself." This was the safest way she could think to get the job done. Provided nothing unforeseen happened, he would make it out of this task and onto the next one.

Scene Break

" _It's the perfect way to get Harry to confess that he really did put his name in the Goblet...think about it. There's no way Professor Dumbledore would let Harry actually die, so he drinks this and passes out before he goes to face the dragon." Ron said eagerly, handing her the sleeping potion, "Then he takes a step out into the ring, passes out, and they have to save him. Dumbledore'll use this as a 'learning experience' to teach Harry not to lie and then he'll admit the truth._

Hermione looked at the potion containing butterbeer in her hand. She was the one charged with giving Harry the sleeping draught. _Can I do this? I said I'd do anything to help Harry...this is the only plan we've gotten so far..to think it was Ron's idea..._

Draco Malfoy smirked as he watched Hermione walk out towards the large tent that signified where the Champions were. _That idiot Weasley bought it hook, line, and sinker. I let the ginger twat 'eavesdrop' while I told Crabbe and Goyle my 'plan'. He thought he was clever stealing the sleeping potion from me. Too bad the moron didn't test it first. It won't go off until Potter is on the field. Thanks to Professor Snape, I know that they're facing dragons. No one will be able to get to him in time!_ The blonde wizard thought as he made his way down to the Pitch with his two 'associates'.

The plan had been, to his mind, a stroke of genius. Everyone had heard about Harry's Oath when he'd been asked about the Goblet. Potter had given an Oath, so he knew that he hadn't put his name in the Goblet, however that wasn't Draco's concern. He wanted Harry dead for his crimes against the Malfoy family.

 _He's bewitched my mother, the Aurors have taken father to Azkaban and our home has been emptied of its most valuable possessions. He even forced mother to write to me and_ _ **order**_ _me to 'make amends'...oh I'll make amends alright..._ A cruel chuckle slipped from Draco as they arrived at the Pitch, Crabbe and Goyle each laughed in turn, unsure why Draco was laughing, but they knew better than to question him.

Scene Break

 _The time has come for Harry to be tested once more..._ Dumbledore thought as he made his way down to join the other judges. _A pity that our fates must rest on his shoulders, but there's no other way._ He knew of Draco's plan after all the portraits were duty bound to report to him anything unusual. It wasn't a good plan at all, it hinged on too many things working in his favor. _Thank Merlin for mild compulsion charms on Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley so they didn't question the plan overmuch..._

But it had potential. If Harry was bested in this task, he would come to the Headmaster for guidance and Dumbledore needed that. Harry had become far too independent. It was dangerous leaving Hogwarts, even with an Auror escort. _It's for the best that Harry is humbled slightly. After this, I will offer him some more personal tutoring. That should offer me the chance to put him on the correct path once more._

For Harry to stand a chance against what would inevitably happen, Dumbledore knew that he needed to be ready. Only with the knowledge that he had, could Harry hope to survive past his school years. But time and again he'd acted out of turn this year. _A little humbling and he'll be back learning at my feet..._

"Ah, Olympe, Ludo, Percy, Igor, so good to see you all here and ready for the inaugural task." He said, clapping his hands together as he greeted the assembled judges and host. "How are we this fine morning?" Ludo opened his mouth to reply but Dumbledore continued on, "Good, simply wonderful! Now, let's get this show on the road!"

Ludo looked confused but departed with Percy to the Champions Tent.

Scene Break

Harry stood beside Fleur, a look of grim determination on each of their faces. Harry looked at her and then reached over to take her hand in his own. "You'll be brilliant you know..." He said to her, earning a wan smile.

"Merci, but that does not mean I feel any less terrified." Fleur admitted, squeezing his hand, "How do you feel?" She asked him, blue eyes meeting green.

"I-" Harry began, only to be interrupted by a whisper at the edge of the tent. Harry turned to see Hermione splitting the side of the tent, a look that Harry couldn't place on her face.

She looked at their joined hands and then back to Harry's face, "I...I just wanted to wish you luck and to give you this..." She said walking into the tent and giving him the bottle of butterbeer.

Just in time for Rita Skeeter to walk into the tent. She looked from Harry and Fleur to Hermione and then smiled openly, "Ah, what do we have here? The youngest Champion, his French dalliance, and the girl back home..." She turned to her cameraman, "Bozo, get this. This is front page material!"

"You need to leave." Viktor said, moving to stand beside Hermione, "This tent is for Champions...and their friends." He glared at the woman, "We did not wish for you to intrude. If we had, you would have been invited."

Rita's mask flickered for a moment, "Ah, a jealous rival for the affections of one of these 'lovely' ladies?" She moved closer to Viktor, she was a tall woman and so she stood eye to eye with the Bulgarian Champion, "Which one is it? The French Fancy? The English Crumpet?" Rita grinned maliciously, "Or...perhaps you are a wizard who prefers his own company as it were? Between this tangle of relationships and Barty Crouch being taken away by the DMLE last night, this is shaping up to be the best Tournament in memory!"

"How dare you!" Viktor, Fleur, Harry, and Hermione each said, practically as one. The camera flashed and Rita smirked, "I think I have what I need...good luck to you all.." She turned and left the tent with her cameraman just as Ludo and Percy entered it.

"Greetings Champions!" Ludo said, practically dancing with excitement, "We have in the bag carried by myself, four items. One for each of you. When you reach in, you will be given your turn in line and which of our challenges that you will face."

"Champions to me! First, we will have Mr. Krum..." Viktor broke from the others and walked to the bag, he reached in and pulled out a squirming model of a dragon, "Ah the Chinese Fireball!" Ludo said, before moving onto Fleur who drew out a green dragon, "the Welsh Green...next to Mr. Diggory, come along now!" Cedric pulled out his, the Swedish Short-Snout, and finally, it was Harry's turn.

Harry looked at the spiky gray dragon bearing the number four, "Ah Hah! The most deadly of them all! The Hungarian Horntail, getting the golden egg from this dragon will prove most dangerous!" Ludo said as Harry looked in horror at the miniature monster in his hands.

Scene Break

Tonks in the stands beside Narcissa. At her side on the ground, Sirius in his dog form lay in the sun. They had watched the first three competitors. Tonks had even cheered for Cedric, as a former Hufflepuff she'd felt it important to support her House. Cheering for Fleur had been a bit more difficult for her. However, she hadn't joined the Hogwarts and Durmstrang crowd in laughing when an errant blast of fire had set her skirt alight. _She's Harry's friend...I'm not going to be a bitch just because we both seem to have eyes on the same bloke._

Narcissa had watched everything with a practiced eye. Each rival to Harry had come and performed admirably enough, _All aside from the Durmstrang Champion...a curse to the eye...this is why no one respects Durmstrang the first thing they think of is brute force..._ She thought to herself as she watched the third dragon be removed and the cage containing the Horntail placed into the pit.

The Hungarian Horntail, one of the most deadly beasts in the world, magical or otherwise. _It would be worth a fortune if Harry had to kill it...I almost wish the plan Nymphadora and Sirius came up with failed and Harry ended up putting it down..._ It had been a great surprise to Narcissa when Tonks had came to meet her with a shaggy black dog in Hogsmeade. An even greater shock had come when she was led off the path and the dog revealed itself to be Sirius.

Back at the tent, Harry took a calming breath. He took a sip of the butterbeer Hermione had brought him. She'd left him as the task began leaving Harry alone as one by one each Champion faced their fate.

Now it was his turn.

Harry stepped out of the tent and made his way to the Pitch. The familiar grounds where he had played Quidditch since his first year were unrecognizable. In their place, there was a rocky pit, at the center he saw a small nest and in the center of the nest, was a golden egg. That egg was his target.

Harry stepped past some of the outer rocks. Dimly, he knew he heard Ludo announcing what was going on, but the noise of the crowd and its announcer faded as the blood began to pound in Harry's ears. _Let's get this over with..._ He thought as he began to cast the spells Tonks had drilled into him.

Then the stone beside him exploded as the Horntail made itself known to him. His training as a Seeker was the only thing Harry could credit to explain how he'd managed dodge it. The crowd gave a gasp as Harry scrabbled around to a larger boulder. Harry felt the tips of his fingers growing numb, he shook his head and continued to move steadily closer to the nest, figuring that the dragon wouldn't attack too close to her nest.

The roar in his head was getting worse now. Blood pounded in his head making his movements sluggish. He cast the charms, first banishing a nearby rock towards the nest, watching it land just touching the golden egg. Harry felt his eyes flutter, but he held out his wand and cast the sticking charm. He felt the magic trickle from his wand, not flow like normal. _S-something is wrong..._ He thought as he felt his wand fall from his hands with a clatter.

 _What's wrong with him?_ This was a thought shared by three witches. Narcissa and Tonks gave each other a look before each one sprang from their seats rushing towards the barrier with Sirius close behind. Fleur, watching from the hospital tent with the others did the same from her end. "Please stay back from the barricade!" Came the enhanced voice of Ludo Bagman, "The Champion must complete the challenge on his own!"

Harry reached for the wand with numb fingers, it fell from his hand again, rolling out past the edge of the boulder. Reaching for it, Harry slipped forward and grabbed the wand again. Clutching it desperately, Harry summoned the stone and the egg to his hand. Just as the darkness hit him he felt his fingers touch the egg.

Scene Break

Harry awoke in the hospital tent on a cot. At his side were Fleur, Tonks, and Narcissa. Fleur was the first one to notice his eyes opening. She threw herself against him hugging him tightly. "Harry, you are awake!" She cried, gaining the attention of the others.

"Wh-what happened?" Harry asked groggily, rising to a sitting position, Fleur still wrapped around him.

Tonks was the one to answer, "We don't know for sure. You seemed to drop off as you faced the dragon. If Dumbledore hadn't gone down once you had the egg and drove the dragon back I-" She was quiet then, her hand going to his, "I really don't want to watch you die out there..." Her hair, Harry noticed, was a muddy, dull brown color, "I just-"

That was when Madam Pomfrey arrived looking grim, "Mr. Potter, did you have anything to eat or drink before the start of the task?" She summoned a bottle from the shelf beside his bed and placed it on his table, "Drink it all. It's a purging draught."

Harry drank the potion, wincing at the taste of it, "The only thing I've had was the butterbeer Hermione gave me." He told her, "I took a few sips of it, but my mind really wasn't on drinking."

"Did you have any breakfast?" Madam Pomfrey asked him when he shook his head she continued, "Then it appears that someone tampered with the butterbeer you were given. I found traces of a powerful sleeping potion. Luckily it seems that you only had a few sips. If you'd have finished the bottle, you'd have probably passed out much sooner, too soon for anyone to reach you in time."

"I have to talk to Hermione, someone set her up..." Harry said, "She's one of my best friends, I know she wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I trust her with my life."

From behind the door, listening in, Hermione felt her eyes fill with tears. _Harry could have been killed because of me...how could I do something so..._ She blinked back tears and raced for the Gryffindor Common Room, she couldn't face Harry, not now. _I just wanted him to admit the truth...it's the only thing that makes sense..._

Scene Break

Amelia finished the letter she was drafting for the morning's owl post. As Director of the DMLE, she was putting Bellatrix Lestrange on house arrest under the supervision of Narcissa Malfoy. It was thanks to Narcissa that they'd finally caught Lucius Malfoy with his robes down. _I'll give Mrs. Lestrange the good news myself..._ She thought as she rose and vanished with a crack.

At Azkaban, Bellatrix could scarcely believe what she was hearing. Amelia had arrived to see her and had explained that with her information regarding the disappearance of Barty Crouch Jr and her sister's information regarding Lucius, she was being put under house arrest as soon as Narcissa could claim her. It wasn't freedom, not yet. She had to wear magic restraint cuffs and she wouldn't be allowed a wand yet. But it was a start.

Now she was alone in her cell again. Soon she would be free of this place. She would be away from her husband and brother-in-law. _Pity I can't kill them before I leave..._ She thought to herself as she lay on her bed.

 _Why can't you?_ A voice in her mind whispered, _The Dementors serve me...you have earned your vengeance against them...ask it and they shall fall..._

 _I want them to suffer._ Bellatrix thought in response to the familiar voice, it was the one from when the insanity she had immersed herself with had faded away.

 _So be it..._

In their cells, the Dementors swarmed Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange. Amid the screaming of the terrified prisoners, the throaty moan of the Dementors broke through and as her husband and brother-in-law had their souls sucked out, Bellatrix lay on her cot and smiled a true smile for the first time in a very long time.


	14. Chapter 14

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Fourteen. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Fourteen: Whodunit?

Harry wasn't allowed out of his bed in the Infirmary. He had, in fact, been told by Madam Pomfrey that if she caught him out of the bed until she gave him the go-ahead, she would vanish the bones in his legs until she was ready for him to walk. The fact that Tonks, Fleur, and Narcissa had agreed rather enthusiastically with this had resulted in him gloomily referring to them as 'traitors'.

That found him in the position he was now, three days after the Task sitting in his bed reading. He was bored. More than bored, he was angry. Someone had very nearly gotten him killed, and worse, had used Hermione as the patsy. He trusted her, he knew she wouldn't have had anything to do with it.

But then who?

Tonks had promised to start an investigation into it. Harry saw the door to the Infirmary open. It was Hermione, her hair was bushier than he had ever seen it. She looked pale and worn down, "Hermione, you haven't been sleeping again. This is the time-turner all over again." He admonished.

"Shh! Harry, no one is supposed to know about it!" She hissed, before calming down, "I just wanted to see how you were. It's been three days." In truth, he was right. She hadn't slept. The constant warring of knowing she'd done the right thing, and the right thing having very nearly killed him had kept her awake. _I'm just so glad that Professor Dumbledore was there to save him..._ She thought as she sat down in one of his chairs. "I saw Auror Tonks, she said that she was investigating what happened?" Hermione hoped that Harry didn't notice the desperate tone to her question, or if he did that he would just think it was her being tired.

"She is. She's working with one of the other Aurors. I think she said it was Megan Jones' sister." Harry told her, "Are you alright? I don't blame you, you know. You're my best friend. I always know you've got my best interests at heart...even if you're a little impulsive." He grinned at that last part, watching a touch of red go to her cheeks.

"Impulsive? This is coming from the boy who jumped onto the back of a troll his first year?" Hermione laughed, "But thank you. I don't want you to die in this stupid Tournament," She put a hand on his, "Are you certain you don't know who put your name in the Goblet?"

He sighed, the smile leaving his lips, "I'm still sure Hermione." He looked at the window, "I gave an Oath. If I'd have known-"

"Alright, I believe you." She said, not actually believing him, "But if you don't know, that could mean you were obliviated."

"Or someone could have been working against Harry in order to kill him." Narcissa's voice cut through the room. Harry and Hermione turned and saw the recently made Seneschal for Harry Potter at the doorway, "Good day Harry, Miss Granger, Nymphadora found your bottle at the tent. The remnants of the butterbeer and its potion are being analyzed by the DMLE. With luck, we can find how well the potion was made."

"What would that tell us?" Harry asked, curious.

Hermione answered, "Whether the potion was made by a student, or by an adult." That wasn't so frightening to her. The maker of the potion wasn't where she'd gotten it from. She'd gotten it from Ron and Ron was not good at making potions. Then a thought made her stomach clench, _What if they find the potion maker who leads them to Ron and then to me..._

 _Why do I have to be the one who sees the real danger Harry is in?_ She thought miserably. Her best friend was trapped in a deadly tournament, and he seemed to be more interested in spending time with adults than trying to find a way out of this so he could survive his fourth year.

Narcissa looked at Hermione, "Indeed Miss Granger. If the potion was made at a student level, we can work from there. Where did you get the butterbeer? Was it in the Common Room or at the stands?"

"I...it was from the Common Room." She said, "Ron and I were talking and I picked up one to bring to Harry." Hermione did not notice the flinch from Harry, but Narcissa did. Suddenly, the older witch was on a line of thought.

"So, it was in a closed-off place. That means it had to be from a student, regardless of the maker, we know the culprit is a Gryffindor." Narcissa said, a gleam of triumph in her eyes, "If you will excuse me, I need to find Nymphadora. She will need to request veritaserum, we have the suspects now."

With that Narcissa left, a terrified Hermione in her wake.

Scene Break

Bellatrix had been at Potter Manor for two days now. She was living here with Narcissa after the parole had gone through. Potter Manor was on par, as far size was concerned, with the Lestrange Manor in Yorkshire. The difference lay in how much less oppressive it felt.

 _No wonder James ended up being a ponce rather than a bastard like Rodolphus..._ She thought as she inspected the grounds. She was allowed as far as the ward boundary. Any farther and the anklet she was wearing would take her directly to a cell at the Ministry. _No wand, no magic, so this is life as a muggle?_

It should have bothered her more. She had been raised to equate muggles to cockroaches or dung beetles, vermin that was shaped like a person but wasn't the same thing as one. She allowed a soft, bitter laugh as she stopped beside a cherry tree, "Bastards exist regardless of magic. I was married to one, and loved another..." She said to the stillness around her.

The loss of her wand wasn't as big an issue as she'd first thought it would be. After the years in Azkaban, not having a wand was her new normal. _Perhaps when they trust me I can request my wand back..._ She thought, though if she were honest with herself, she knew that she would probably remain 'muggle Bellatrix' for a long time to come. There was a strange sort of peace in knowing that she could not affect any change in this situation.

She looked out at the small creek that formed the physical boundary of the Manors grounds. It was a slow, sluggish creek that flowed out towards the east, where Bellatrix believed it met a larger river. She'd never really had an interest in topography, so unless it was a landmass that had magical significance, she tended to ignore it.

She did, however, see something in the woods. A man, muggle if she had to guess from his clothes, walking his dog. The dog, a shaggy amalgamation of at least six breeds, wore a bright orange sweater, to match the orange wool knit cap the man had on. Bellatrix flattened herself against the tree to avoid being seen.

From this distance, she could faintly hear the man talking to the dog. "Come on Hank," Bellatrix heard him say exasperatedly, "We've been at this for thirty minutes. Please, for the love of all that's good and holy, find a spot and do your business." That earned a silent laugh from the eavesdropping witch. After another moment of waiting, Bellatrix heard the man again, "Finally. Come on pal, time to get back to the cottage and get some work done."

She heard the footsteps fading away and when she looked around the tree they were gone.

 _We have neighbors...he obviously didn't notice me. The wards are still strong. The dog was too busy to investigate._ Bellatrix was still wary, she had hidden away from the man just in case. _I should still tell Cissy when she returns from Hogwarts. Perhaps she'll know who that was._

During her childhood, Bellatrix had learned two things above all else. The first was that her parents believed themselves above most of the world, especially muggles. She'd also learned that, at least in her mother's case, they were hypocrites. Her mother had often brought muggle men into the Black Manor for her fun. She would use them, obliviate them, and then have their house elf drop them off in an alley somewhere.

One thing was sure, Druella Black would have loved this man, in a most unwholesome way. He had been taller than her by at least a head with short-cropped sandy hair under his orange cap. She hadn't been able to see his eyes from that distance, but when she put his features together in her mind, she saw blue eyes the color of a stormy sea.

 _So he's handsome..._ She thought, _or at least he's handsome from a distance... I'm not Mother, I have enough self-respect that I'm not going to risk breaking the Statute because I've been without for fourteen years._

She was annoyed now. Annoyance used to mean she would kill something. But now, she didn't have a wand, she couldn't curse something. She grumbled and turned back towards the Manor. She would go to the library and find a book, hopefully, one with a lot of illustrations of curses and their effects.

Scene Break

Fleur made her way to the Infirmary. She found Harry sitting up with his lunch. He was alone, which made her glad she'd come to see him. "Good afternoon Harry, how are you feeling?" She asked him as she sat down beside his bed.

"Fine, but I'm bored to tears. Thankfully the 'Daily Prophet' article about the task is hilarious. Skeeter actually tried to paint the champions as some kind of lust-crazed orgy." Harry laughed and handed her the paper, "Have you seen this? It's the dumbest thing I've ever seen."

Fleur looked at the headline, **TRI-WIZARD TOURNAMENT A CAVALCADE OF COITUS?** She couldn't help but giggle, which turned into a full laugh shared between the two of them. "My question is how seriously will it be taken?" She asked him.

He shrugged, "If it goes too far, Narcissa will challenge Skeeter for a retraction. Nothing says 'watch your words' quite like the threat of the boy-who-lived refusing to ever give an interview to your paper." He settled back against his pillow, "She's actually looking into developing a relationship with some of the other papers. One of them, the Quibbler, their editor has a daughter here. She's a third-year Ravenclaw. Luna something...Lovegood that's it, Luna Lovegood."

"I believe I have heard some of the Ravenclaws mention a 'Looney Lovegood'" Fleur said, "She believes in made-up creatures, according to them." She frowned, "I doubt that they are being objective though."

"Probably not, but even if she was twice as crazy as they think she is she'd still be better than Skeeter." Harry said, "So, how are you doing?" He asked her.

Fleur smiled, "My mother has arrived, she's staying in Hogsmeade for the week. She'd like a chance to meet with both of us to discuss this connection between us. She has a theory about it, but I don't know how much of it I believe." She drew out the book she'd been sent before the Task, "If you'd like to give yourself a headache, you are more than welcome to look at this book."

Harry took the book from her and flipped it open, after a few moments of silent reading, he set the book back down gingerly and pushed it towards her. "This isn't a book. It's a sanity-stealing trap devised by the forces of darkness to punish mankind for its hubris." He said calmly.

She grinned and put the book back in her satchel and looked at him, "Would you like me to invite Maman to come here to speak with you, or would you rather wait until you've gotten a clean bill of health and meet her at the Three Broomsticks?" Fleur asked him.

"We can wait, I'd rather have that discussion in a private room. I get the feeling I'm being kept here just so they can keep an eye on me." Harry said with a grin.

Harry was more right than he knew. He was being kept in the Infirmary so that Dumbledore could do what he needed to in order to ensure that the events leading to up to the Task were kept quiet. Compulsion charms would ensure that his name was kept out of it since Ron had gotten the idea from overhearing Draco. That it had required a little 'push' of sorts from the Headmaster wasn't important.

The next step was to convince the DMLE that Hogwarts was secure, that this was a fluke. That would be considerably harder as one of the Aurors had taken a personal interest in Harry. In his office, Dumbledore found himself pondering that very fact.

 _If I were to press for the removal of Auror Tonks then Harry would not trust me. But if I allow her to stay, she will press on with her investigation. Perhaps it would be best if, for the good of us all, Auror Tonks were to meet with an accident._ Dumbledore thought more on his plan as he paced. If the woman currently acting as an impediment to Harry's destiny were removed from the equation, then Harry would be more inclined to be prepared to sacrifice himself when the moment came.

 _The Second Task requires a hostage. If I were to choose her, I could manipulate the charms that keep down there to 'fail' early. Perhaps within ten minutes of Harry touching her? If he sees her die, he will feel helpless._

Dumbledore needed that helplessness. He needed a broken, obedient Harry. Voldemort would find a way to a mortal form again. When he did, he and Harry would work together to find Voldemort's method for his rebirth and destroy it. Then Harry and Voldemort would face each other and Harry would die thus making Voldemort mortal and clear the way for Dumbledore to destroy him.

With Voldemort defeated finally, Dumbledore could continue his mission of guiding the wizarding world to its destiny.

It was time for him to go back and find Auror Tonks. He needed to play his part so that in time, she could play hers.

Scene Break

Tonks wasn't at Hogwarts as Narcissa had believed. Instead, she had left for the Ministry. More specifically for the Department of Mysteries. She had a friend there that owed her a favor.

That friend was Unspeakable Researcher Tulip Kurasu. She met Tonks in the foyer of the Department of Mysteries and took the paper bag containing the butterbeer bottle. "So this is it?" She said, "A sleeping potion delivered at the right moment and down goes the hero of our world..." She opened the bag and looked at the bottle, "Funny how a potion can change the world isn't it?"

Tonks sighed and smiled at the way Tulip's mind worked. "Yes, a fourteen-year-old very nearly dying at my first big assignment is extremely fascinating." She said, "Do you think you'll be able to work it out?"

"If my theory holds." Tulip said, "I posited that all potions hold the energy of the witch or wizard who made them. The same energy that allows us to make potions where muggles cannot. That should be able to be traced and if it's traceable, then all we need to do is find the person who's magical signature matches."

"Fantastic! How long do you think it'll take?" Tonks asked eagerly.

Tulip closed her eyes, time frames rushing through her mind and she plotted out her experiments. "Give me a week. After three days, I should have a baseline for the magic. After that, I'll need a few potions from you. It doesn't matter what sort of potions, just something I can test to see if we get any matches."


	15. Chapter 15

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Fifteen. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Fifteen: When the bough breaks

Tonks was pacing in the Gryffindor Common Room, she'd finished her first sweep since returning from the Department of Mysteries. The students were in classes, she'd chosen this moment in order to avoid their questions. The other aurors came down from the dormitories, one of whom, Constance Hammer, was frowning in annoyance. _Not surprising, Connie hates me for having 'her' job..._ Tonks thought with a hidden smirk. "What have you found?" She asked them.

"Nothing in the girl's dorms." Constance said, "Do you have any other ways to waste my time?" _This is bullshit. I'm the senior Auror here._ Constance thought with irritation, _How the brass think she's capable of running an investigation is beyond me._

"Yes, since you asked nicely. I need you to go back and check the dorms again, this time start at the top and go down." Tonks said, watching Constance trudge back up the stairs.

John Dawlish was the other Auror, like Constance, he was more senior than Tonks, but unlike Constance, he had no great urge to lead. He was happy to let Tonks take point on this, her mistakes would be her own issues to deal with, and as long as his name stayed out of the papers, the better.

"I found one thing. One of the fourth-years knew about the dragons." He said, handing her the letter he'd found, "Judging by the location and the name on the letter, Weasley knew about the dragons."

Tonks looked down, in Charlie's familiar scrawl she found a hastily written note, _Tell Harry the first task is dragons, mum would kill me if he got hurt in this tournament.._ it went on to outline the types and various weaknesses of the dragons. "Good catch, I'll go find Ron Weasley and ask him a few questions. Maybe someone found the note..."

She really didn't want to think that Ron was involved. His current reaction to Harry being in the Tournament aside, he was, or had been, Harry's closest friend. _Still, Harry has said that Ron gets jealous of any and everything Harry gets that Ron doesn't..._

Plenty of worrying thoughts to fill her mind as she walked towards the Charms classroom. She knew that Harry had Charms this hour, which meant Ron would be there.

In Professor Flitwick's class, it was silent as the students reviewed their materials. Only the occasional _scritch scritch_ of a quill on parchment disturbed the stillness. Harry had finally been allowed out of the Infirmary and was sitting in the classroom between Hermione and Neville.

Ron was sitting with Seamus and Dean. He didn't want to sit anywhere near Harry. He glared over his textbook. _It's not right. He should have gone running to Professor Dumbledore._

But he hadn't. So far, Harry had stayed on the same foolish course he'd been on since the beginning of the year. Ron didn't understand why his former best mate was being so stupid. _If he would just admit to everyone that he cheated to get his name in and admit that I was right about it, everything could go back to normal!_

There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Flitwick called. Harry looked up from his notes to see Tonks standing there holding a piece of paper in her hands. Her hair, he noticed, was the same silver it had been when he'd made Narcissa his Seneschal.

"Professor, sorry to bother you, but I need to speak with Ron Weasley." Tonks said, looking over the classroom, "Come with me." She said to a confused looking Ron.

"Why do I need to come with you?" Ron asked, "I haven't done anything."

"Not saying you have, I am saying I need to ask you some questions about a few things we found in your dormitory." Tonks replied, "Now, come on." She took his arm and pulled him up, leading him to the door.

"Get off!" Ron tried to pull away but her grip was like iron. Tonks tugged him down the corridor and into an empty classroom.

"Now then," She said, pushing him into a chair, "Mind explaining this letter to me?" She put the letter on the desk he was sitting at, "You knew about the dragons." She said, "Of course you did, Charlie's your brother and there's no way he wouldn't tell his baby brother about the dangerous task that his _best friend_ would be going up against."

Her hair flickered into an annoyed shade of red, "Seeing as Harry never mentioned you warning him," _Especially since I was the one who did warn him_ she thought as she spoke, "So are you a bad friend or a stickler for the rules?"

"I didn't tell him because...well it's against the rules, isn't it? The 'champions' are supposed to stand by themselves." Ron argued, "Besides, I didn't tell anyone about the letter."

"No, but your letter was in your room, in an unlocked trunk. How easy would it be for someone else to read it and tell someone, that friend tells another and before you know it, Harry Potter gets drugged!" Tonks said, "Right now, you are the only suspect I have. So, you have a choice: give an Oath that you haven't had anything to do with the incident at the Task, or I'll get a requisition order for veritaserum and we'll find out that way."

Ron paled, "Y-you can't do either of those! Not without permission from my parents." He knew that much, being underage meant that she couldn't force him into anything unless she had concrete evidence.

"No, but if you fight me on this I promise you I will go find your father and get his permission." Tonks said, "I will show him this letter and tell him that you aren't cooperating with the investigation into how your 'best mate' very nearly died!" She felt herself losing control, she willed her hair back to its normal state, "So," she said, drawing in a calming voice, "What's it going to be?"

"I...I didn't tell anyone, but I read the letter the first time in the Common Room, maybe someone read it over my shoulder." Ron argued, "I didn't have anything to do with the po-" He stopped, his eyes wide.

"No one has said it was a potion. The only people who knew that were the ones in the Infirmary, which wasn't you, Professor Dumbledore, who isn't you, and the person who put the potion in the butterbeer..." Tonks' eyes narrowed and her hair turned black as she drew her wand, "Ronald Weasley, you will be coming with me to the DMLE for questioning in regards to the attempted murder of Harry Potter, come quietly, or I will stun you."

"I didn't do anything! It was Hermione! She gave him the butterbeer!" Ron, desperate to avoid whatever fate would be in store for him.

"Trust me, I'll be talking to Granger. But first I want to know everything you've got for me about that potion. Now come on!" She grabbed his arm and began dragging him out of the classroom.

Just as Harry came around the corner.

"Tonks? What's going on?" Harry looked from her to Ron in confusion.

"He knew about the potion. No one knew about it except us and Dumbledore." She said to him, "So, he's coming with me and we're going to discuss how he knew and what else he knows."

"Mate, it wasn't me. It...it was Hermione! She's the one who gave it to you, she overheard Draco! He was going to give you a potion. Hermione thought that if you-" Ron said, only to free as Harry began to speak.

"Thought what? That if I was nearly killed by a dragon, I would suddenly admit that I had put my name in, or someone else had done it for me? I did not enter. Someone else did it. Look at the pattern Ron, every year someone tries to kill me." Harry ran a hand through his hair, "Look, just deal with this Tonks, I can't be around him or I'll end up using one of the unforgiveables." Harry left the hallway as quickly as he could for the Gryffindor Tower.

Scene Break

Fleur saw Harry practically sprinting down the hallway, she caught his arm, pulling him against her. The pair fell back against the wall, Fleur felt her head strike the wall, "Not my best move..." She said to him, "Why are you running?"

"I just found out that there's an excellent chance my supposed best friend was the reason I nearly died. He knew about the potion." Harry said miserably, "He tried to frame Hermione for it. But I know she couldn't have done it."

Fleur hugged him, "I am sorry Harry." She said softly, "I can't imagine what that would be like." Her best friend was Evangeline, and Fleur truly couldn't imagine her cousin betraying her like that. Out of sheer familial affection, or just the fact that Evangeline was far too lazy to come up with a plot.

"I'm going to the Common Room, would you like to join me?" Harry asked her, "I need some time to get my thoughts in some kind of order." When she nodded, he turned to lead her, he felt her hand go to his, the comforting warmth of her hand had made him smile weakly to her.

"Harry, may I ask you something?" Fleur began as they arrived at the staircase leading up to the towers, "Your friend, Hermione, why are you so convinced she had nothing to do with this?"

"Hermione is the one person that I always know has my back." Harry said, "Last year she and I literally broke all of the laws involving time travel in order to rescue my godfather and a hippogriff." He sighed, "Probably goes without saying not to mention that to anyone."

"Of course, if I'd broken one of the strictest laws set by the ICW, especially since you are speaking to the daughter of one of the wizards who made the recommendation for that law, I'd keep that quiet myself." Fleur teased him, glad to have some chance at making him look less morose.

"The point," He said turning the corner and leading her up to the Fat Lady, "is that she's been with me through everything, even now, Ron knew about the dragons and he didn't come talk to me. It was Hermione who came to see how I was."

"Hermione who had the butterbeer," Fleur pointed out, "And she said that the butterbeer was left out in the Common Room, so it's possible that it wasn't Ron." She wanted to give him some comfort, even if this meant she could be setting him up for future pain.

"I really hope you're right," Harry said as he gave the password and they entered the Common Room. He did hope that, but the nagging feeling of dread inside him made him think he would be the correct one.

Scene Break

Bellatrix sat in the study of Potter Manor, trying and failing to take her mind off of the muggle she'd seen outside of the ward boundary. _It's dangerous to have muggles so close. What if he finds out we are here, he could send for the- damn, what do they call their Aurors again? 'Bibbies'? No, that's idiotic, 'Boobies'? It's something like that..._

She set down the book she had been reading in annoyance. "The fuck do they call those things?" She all but snarled.

"Call what?" The portrait of James Potter asked, "It must be something important if you're throwing books like you just found the world's biggest roach."

"What the muggles call their Aurors. I know it starts with a 'B' and ends with an 'S'." She explained, "I saw a muggle in the woods recently. They are dangerous, what if it hears something-"

"You know our wards are strong. He can't hear or see anything unless he was invited. The answer to your other question is 'Bubby'." James replied, "It's a silly word, but they call them that for some reason."

"'Bubby'? Are you sure? That seems odd." Bellatrix replied then shrugged, "Anyway, he's out there again!" She said looking at the window, "He's walking that cur of his."

"That's awful close to the Manor, why don't you scare him off?" James suggested, "You know, maybe use a blasting charm on a tree and freak him out."

"I don't have a wand." Bellatrix said, "I can't do anything from this side of the boundary, and I can't leave the boundary line."

"Unless someone has moved it, there's a wand in my old bedroom." James offered, "It'll probably only make a few noises, but it would scare him off."

Bellatrix rose, "Your bedroom is which one?" She asked, "I can at least try to make him leave."

"Third on the left, the room Harry used when he was here last." James said, "The wand should be in my old trunk." When Bellatrix left the room James cackled, "Hah, I wish my portrait was closer to the window." He said as he leaned against the frame.

"That's your trick wand isn't it James?" Fleamont said to him, "She's going to use that wand and it's just going to make sparks fly."

"Yeah," James said grinning, "She'll probably try a few times and then get mad and stomp in." He laughed, "Hey Da, your portrait has a better view of the grounds, mind if I come over?"

"James Charlus Potter," Euphemia said crossly, "You will not do any such thing, you will go up to the portrait in your bedroom and tell her the truth!" She looked at her husband and elbowed him sharply, "Don't act like this is funny Flea! She's going down there to harass a muggle with a fake wand!"

"Sorry dear, but James can't warn her," Fleamont said rubbing his side, "I see her outside already."

Sure enough, when Euphemia looked, Bellatrix was outside with a slender wand in her hand. She rubbed her temple, "I swear James if she ends up breaking the Statute because of you, I will tell them to scrub your portrait with turpentine!" She said to her son.

Bellatrix felt more comfortable with that wand in her hand than she had since leaving Azkaban. True, the wand felt light in her hand, lighter than a wand really should. If she had been paying attention, she would have noticed that. But all she had in her mind was that she had a wand again, even if it wasn't her wand.

She made her way to where she saw the man, he had gotten even closer to the boundary. _Too close..._ She thought with narrowing eyes, _I won't hurt him, but I will scare the piss out of him._ She grinned and prepared to cast noise-making charm. As she cast the spell, she should have paid more attention to the lightness of that wand.

Joke wands age poorly. They are rarely well made at the start and the combination of cheap wood and cheaper cores mean that they were unstable. The stress of being used for the first time since James Potter was fifteen meant that it failed in her hand. The failure had begun as she began raising the wand, which meant that the blast from the failing wand propelled her upwards. All things that rise must fall, and in the only part of this that could be considered 'lucky' Bellatrix managed to land in the tree at the edge of the boundary.

As she collected herself she heard a noise underneath her. Looking down she found the muggles dog barking at the base of the tree. "Shoo!" She whispered urgently, trying to will the dog to go somewhere else.

That was when she heard a dull creaking sound just below her. The creaking graduated swiftly to a crashing sound and she was removed from the top of the tree and deposited on top of the muggle.

"Fuck!" Bellatrix groaned as she tried to make the world stop spinning. Then she realized what she was sitting on as a dull groan made its way into her ears. "How did you get here?" She said scrambling off of the man and backing away. He made no reply and it was up to Bellatrix to piece together what had happened. She saw a mark in the ground where he'd been standing. _Obviously,_ She thought, _he must have been pulled to the tree by his dog. The wards would only have repelled him..._

He was unconscious, so Bellatrix had an opportunity to escape and just let the cold claim him. However, some niggling vestige of her former conscience still existed within her, so she muttered a curse and began to smack his cheek to wake him up. Thinking it was a game, the dog bounded up into her face. "Down mutt!" She said, "I'm just trying to stop your master from freezing to death..." He was still out cold, so Bellatrix began the task of pulling him towards the Manor.

When Jim Duncan woke up, he thought he'd fallen asleep on his couch. He could be forgiven for that, he did, in fact, wake up on a couch, but not his. He turned and looked at his dog, sitting there expectantly, as ever ready for a liver treat from his fanny pack. "Hank, I promise I'll give you a treat once the room stops spinni- wait a minute, where are we boy?"

Jim sat up and took in his surroundings, he was in an impressive looking parlor. On one side by the fireplace was a tall portrait of an older man and a woman in what looked like a cross between a wizards robes from the costume party and Edwardian clothes. _Good job to the painter, they almost look alive..._ He thought, another similar painting of a teenager graced the other side, and then he saw her.

Wild, black hair and expressive violet eyes that looked at him with a mixture of fear and curiosity. She was dressed in the same bizarre outfits as the paintings, "H-hello," Jim said, "Where am I?" he asked her.

"Potter Manor, you were knocked unconscious." She replied to him, "My name is Bellatrix, my sister is on her way to take a look at you and make sure that nothing is amiss."

"I'm Jim, that's Hank." He said indicating the dog, "How was I knocked unconscious? The last thing I remember is-"

"A branch." Bellatrix said quickly, "As I told you, my sister Narcissa will be here shortly, she will make sure that you don't have any injuries that could cause you to see things that aren't real or hear strange sounds..."

There was a flash of green light from the fireplace and out stepped a beautiful blonde woman in a green dress. Jim looked at Bellatrix, "I think it's safe to say that I am hallucinating."


	16. Chapter 16

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Sixteen. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Sixteen: An arrangment of sorts

Jim Duncan was not a stupid man. He never had been and he certainly not going to start being stupid today, he'd decided. The blonde woman who'd entered the manor with a flash of green light out of the fireplace, _Narcissa_ , he reminded himself, was busy having what looked like a heated conversation with the other woman, _Bellatrix_.

 _Why do these people have such weird names? For that matter, why can't I hear them, they are right there?_ He thought to himself as he and his dog Hank. As ever, Hank was not helpful in any meaningful way. The dog just leaned in and demanded scratched on his head.

Narcissa canceled her silencing charm. She rose and walked over to him, "Mr.?"

"Duncan."

"Mr. Duncan, my sister has asked me to break a very important law. We are, as you can probably guess, different from you." She drew out her wand, "We are in fact, something you most likely relegated to the world of fantasy." She flicked her wand, summoning a book from its shelf and catching it, "We are witches."

Jim blinked as he tried to process what he'd seen, "You just made that book-"

She flicked her wand and the book made its way back to the shelf, "Summoning and banishment charms, taught to every witch and wizard during their education. There are other spells that are more proprietary, such as the memory charm."

She leveled her wand at him, "The memory charm is a simple spell that is taught to healers and magical law enforcement. With one word and a simple gesture I can remove all knowledge of this place from you. You will wake up in your bed and nothing more will come of it except you may have a slight headache and a bit of confusion."

She lowered her wand, "However, my sister is here alone most of the time. She is lonely, and since you are the only person she's seen that isn't me or inside of a portrait frame, she has asked that you not lose your memories. In exchange for being one of the very few muggles in the world that knows about magic, she would like you to visit her and keep her company." Narcissa quirked a brow, "In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that my dear sister is on probation for several crimes committed in the seventies and eighties regarding her service to a Dark Lord."

"So, in exchange for not letting you turn my brain into mush, you want me to come over and spend time with her?" Jim asked, "What would we even talk about?"

"I don't really care. Tell her about the muggle world, listen her talk about the magical world, Hell, play cards with her. The only people she has to talk to when I'm not here are the portraits on the wall, and one of those is a perpetually immature fifteen-year-old jackass." Narcissa told him, "Simply put, either you agree to spend some time each day keeping Bellatrix company, or you will be obliviated."

Bellatrix watched the discussion from her seat across the room. It was a lie, she hadn't requested for the muggle to come see her. She hadn't even requested him to keep his memories. _What are you planning Cissy?_ She wondered as she watched them.

 _This is dangerous! He's a muggle! What if he lies and summons the bubbies?_ She bite her lower lip in worry. Muggles were dangerous and untrustworthy, everyone knew that. She was certain that this was a terrible plan her sister had concocted.

And yet, she couldn't really say that she disliked the idea of having someone to talk to. Even if it was a muggle, it beat talking to the Potters who had no idea of anything that had happened since the late seventies. James was, trying, at best and more commonly a reason for Bellatrix to look for a solvent she could throw on the painted teenager.

"Very well, Mr. Duncan. I will need to take a drop of your blood in order to key you into the wards, otherwise you would find yourself unable to cross the boundary." Narcissa said to Jim, drawing Bellatrix from her thoughts.

"My blood?" Jim asked, "Why would you need that?"

"Because," Bellatrix said, gaining his attention for the first time, "Blood is what activates the magic. Without it, a ward can only be passive."

Jim held out his hand, and Narcissa used her wand to open a shallow cut on his palm. She tapped her wand to it, drawing in some of the blood, "I will return in a moment to heal your wound. Bellatrix, please find a cloth to act as a bandage until then."

Bellatrix watched her sister leave the room before standing up, "Lady Potter?" She asked the portrait of Fleamont and Euphemia, "Did you keep any clean cloths for stubborn wounds?"

Jim was shocked when the portrait's inhabitants moved, the one Bellatrix had spoken to seemed to think for a moment, "I believe there was some material the house elves were going to use for curtains in one of the rooms." The woman looked at Jim and then back to Bellatrix, "I believe I've stunned the poor boy."

Bellatrix allowed herself to laugh at that before stepping out of the room. Jim walked over to the portrait in disbelief, "So, this is the third time we've had a muggle in our home. One of the farmers used to come here to sell the 'hippies' produce. Would you recognize the name Nathan Leroy?" The woman in the portrait asked him.

"I bought my house from an Agnes Leroy." Jim said, "I think her husband was named Nathan."

"Agnes...yes, I think that was his wife's name..." She said thoughtfully, "That means you own the cottage a mile to the east then?"

Jim knew that speaking to a portrait was odd, even if, or especially if it spoke back. But, he also knew the manners his parents had instilled in him. "Yes ma'am. The one with the apple orchard."

She smiled at that, "I do hope the trees are still flourishing. Flea sent our house elves there one night with a potion from London that should have ensured the trees produced a bountiful crop even now."

Bellatrix returned with a small white cloth, "This is the best I could find..." She said, almost as an apology. She pressed the cloth to his hand, "I know Cissy told you that I asked for you to stay, but...it wasn't me. I think she's tired of being my minder."

"Is the other part true? You were in wizard jail?" Jim asked, instantly regretting it as she seemed to draw in on herself.

"Yes," She said quietly, "I tortured and murdered, muggles like yourself and those whom I believed blood traitors. I was lost in my own pain and wished to share it with the world." She looked down at their hands, "I am a monster, Jim Duncan. It would be best if you allowed Narcissa to obliviate you."

She stepped back, letting him hold the cloth to his hand. At that moment, Narcissa returned to the room, "You are keyed now into the wards. It may prove disorienting the first time you cross the wards." She flicked her wand at his hand and Jim felt the wound close, "If you would take your leave, I need to discuss a few things with Bellatrix."

Without saying anything, Jim took the leash to his dog and the pair left. Bellatrix watched the door for a moment, "Why did you tell him to come back?" She asked almost absently, her eyes still on the door before turning back to her younger sister, "I would have killed him without a thought before..."

Narcissa sighed, "Our family is changing Bella," She said quietly, "the old ways, the ways of the Black family are not going to take us into the future. It would be good for you to spend some time with him. Perhaps it would teach you to be less afraid."

Scene Break

Ron had never been more frightened than in this moment. Tonks had forced him out the door of the castle and down the path to the ward boundary. She had taken him from there to the Ministry and now he found himself in an interrogation room.

Outside, he heard the reason for his terror, Molly Weasley. Following the law, Tonks had sent for Arthur and his wife. Molly, upon hearing that their son under an investigation had came straight through to the Ministry. The door opened and the Weasleys stepped inside with Tonks.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley! What did you do!" Molly rushed to her youngest son, her face red with rage.

Tonks stopped her, "That's why we are here. I need your permission to give him veritaserum, or, if you won't allow the serum, I'll have him administer an Oath on his magic that he had nothing to do with what happened at the Task." Ron felt his heart sink even lower as his mother and father looked at each other.

"The Oath should suffice." Arthur said looking at Ron, "Son, if you lie under this oath you will lose your magic. That means no more Hogwarts, unless you get a job working there as Argus Filch's assistant."

Ron gulped, "I...It was Hermione! She did it! She was convinced that Harry lied! I wouldn't give my best friend a sleeping potion, please, you've got to believe me!" He pleaded to his parents.

Tonks placed his wand on the table, "Give an Oath then. I know that you knew about the dragons, and I also know that you at least knew about the potion. So make an Oath that you had nothing to do with the events on the day in question."

Shakily Ron picked up his wand, he lifted it, "I- I...R-Ronald Bilius Weasley...s-swear on my magic that I- AAAH!" His wand flashed and threw him against the wall. In an instant, Molly was at his side, pulling him into her arms.

"Ron! Oh my boy, what happened to you?" She asked, then looked at her husband and Tonks, "His wand backfired!" She brushed the hair from his forehead.

"The Oath failed, Molly." Tonks said, "I'm sorry, but this is proof that he was involved." She sighed, "I'll need to keep him here in a cell until Madam Bones decides if he'll be released on bond."

"We need to see Harry. We need to apologize to him for what Ron did." Arthur said to his wife, "I can't believe we didn't see this. If the Headmaster hadn't intervened, Harry could have been killed and then Ron-"

"Would be accused of setting up Harry's murder." Tonks finished for him, "Would you like a moment with him while I go speak with Madam Bones?" At their nods, she used her wand to wake up Ron and then stepped outside the door.

She nodded to the two Aurors standing on either side of the door before exiting for the main bullpen. She saw Hestia talking to a Desk Auror and beckoned her over, "Hes, is Madam Bones in?"

Hestia thought for a moment, "I think she is. I know I saw her going into her office, I don't think I've seen her leave." She replied, "So, what happened with Ron?"

Tonks frowned, her hair turning black for a moment before going back to pink, "He failed his Oath."

Hestia's eyes widened, "He squibbed himself?" At Tonks' nod, she continued, "Shit. That's going to suck to tell Harry isn't it?"

Tonks nodded, "Yeah. 'Wotcher Harry! Turns out your first friend at Hogwarts set you up to die horribly...' that'll go over real well..." She sighed, "I'll catch you before I go back to Hogwarts, please have something potent I can drink in your hand..."

Hestia laughed at that and watched her friend walk to the hallway that led to Amelia's office.

Scene Break

Harry sat in his Defense class, trying to take his mind off what had happened. He watched Professor Moody writing something on the board, but he was still too distracted to pay attention.

"Pay attention!" Moody said, revealing the phrase 'pick your poison' on the board, " This lesson could well save your lives one day. Dark wizards and witches are fans of weakening their enemies by harming their friends and relatives." His chalk went to the board and Moody wrote the words 'CONSTANT VIGILANCE!' "See that? Those two little words: 'Constant' and 'Vigilance', they are all that stands between yourself and death!"

He began to pace, his false eye dancing in his skull, "You have to look at any group and decide who among them are the ones most likely to break." He stopped in front of Harry, "Take Potter here. Everyone knows the story; his parents were betrayed by their friend Sirius Black. I remember Black from my days at the Ministry. He always played the role of joker, never taking anything seriously." Moody looked over to the rest of the class, "Never trust someone who can't go ten seconds without making a joke. Especially in the middle of a war!"

Harry knew the truth. His third year had been dedicated to the mystery surrounding his godfather's supposed betrayal of the Potter family. He also knew that defending Sirius in public would raise far more questions than he needed.

It irked him, but he remained quiet under the gaze of the scarred former Auror.

When class let out Harry went to Hermione, "Can I ask you something in private Hermione?" Harry said.

Just as she went to answer Professor McGonagall approached them, "Miss Granger, the Headmaster wishes to speak with you. Please follow me, Mr. Potter, to your next class."

Hermione looked helplessly at Harry as she was steered away. She followed Professor McGonagall to the Gargoyle and with a quick utterance of 'Sugar Quills', she found herself in a stuffed armchair opposite the Headmaster.

"Miss Granger, as I'm sure you are aware, Mr. Weasley has been taken for questioning by the Ministry for actions involved in the use of a sleeping potion on Harry during the inaugural task of the Tournament." Dumbledore began, "His parents are on their way here to speak with Harry and apologize for their sons part in those unfortunate events."

Hermione paled as the Headmaster continued, "During his interrogation, he seemed very certain that you were the one that gave Harry the potion. Thus far, it is believed that he is merely trying to pass the blame from himself onto you." Dumbledore peered at her from his half-moon spectacles, "However, the portrait of Fordham Frobisher is quite sure that he saw you take the bottle from Mr. Weasley."

"I...I'm sorry sir, I just-"

Dumbledore held up a hand, silencing Hermione's protest, "Miss Granger, while I understand your reasons, I'm afraid I cannot let you remain here." He palmed his wand under his desk, "At least not with your memories unaltered. Harry still trusts you, and that trust will be a powerful tool to guide him along the path."

His wand shot up from under the desk and a silver mist touched Hermione's head, sliding into her ears and inside her. As it worked its way it manipulated her memories, removing her memories of giving Harry the potion and replacing them with merely taking an innocent butterbeer from the Common Room to bring to Harry.

Hermione's eyes rolled up and she collapsed in the chair. After a few moments, Dumbledore cast another spell and watched as Hermione woke up. "Miss Granger, I'm aware that the chairs here are comfortable, but you really must try to stay awake when we are talking."

"I'm sorry...Headmaster, I must have dozed off..." Hermione rubbed her temples, her head throbbed strangely, "What were we talking about?"

"Mr. Weasley has been taken into custody for his actions regarding Harry. I would like you to spend more time with Harry. He is going to need your friendship to guide him in this time." Dumbledore said, "To that end, I will be speaking to the Professors. Whenever Harry is taking time off from classes for training, I would like you to be with him."

"But what about my classes?" Hermione asked, "I want to help Harry, I truly do, but I won't be able to keep up will I?"

"You will be given extra time to self-study. Miss Granger, it is imperative that Harry have someone he can confide in." Dumbledore said, "As we both know Voldemort is still out there. He will try and take Harry from us. He could have an agent already working on that. You must keep an eye, not just on Harry, but on the others, he associates with as well."

"I..I will sir," Hermione said.

Dumbledore smiled, "Good. I will ask you to come to see me each week for an update, but if you see something particularly troubling, come here at once. The Gargoyle will move aside for you."

Hermione stood and made her way out of the office, as she left the room Dumbledore slipped his wand back into his sleeve. _The compulsion to trust me is still holding firm. Good... Miss Granger will report to me everything that she sees and I will be able to gauge from that the next course of action..._


	17. Chapter 17

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Seventeen. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells. This chapter, for whatever reason was the most I've struggled to write since I started all this. I don't know why, but it was like pulling teeth. In any case, here it is.

Chapter Seventeen: Love in the Future Past

Meeting with Apolline was a blessed distraction for Harry. The realization that one of the people he most trusted had betrayed him was still a cold weight inside of him, holding him down and suffocating him.

Fleur had picked up on that, as had Tonks. More even than they had during the build-up to the first Task, the two witches stayed close to him. This moment found them standing at the door to Apolline's room at the Three Broomsticks. Fleur knocked on the door and Harry was ushered inside when the door opened.

Apolline was a tall stately woman with long blonde hair tied into a ponytail. She wore unadorned blue robes that still managed to look more sophisticated than anything he'd seen before. "Hello Mr. Potter, Fleur has told me a great deal about you." She said as she held out her hand to shake his, "I am Apolline Delacour, formerly the Head of Magical Research for the Departement de Mysteres."

"You were an Unspeakable?" Tonks asked her, "No offense but all of ours smell like old cabbage and you look like a model for Witch Weekly."

Apolline smiled, "Well thank you for the compliment, but when I was in my laboratory I wasn't nearly as well put together. That's why I left the Departement, researchers, especially at my level, tend to have shorter lifespans. I had just given birth to my Flower, and I wanted to see her grow up."

Fleur smiled at that, her mother was easily one of the most brilliant people she knew. "Have you found anything else about our connection?" She asked Apolline.

"I have," Apolline said, turning away from them and going back to her bag. She withdrew a stack of parchment, "As I told you in the letter, I believe it is the remnant of a dormant bond between the two of you. The reason the bond exists but is dormant, I believe is because we've already been at this moment before."

Tonks looked at her askance, "You mean these two were lovers in another life?" _Is that what we were?_ She thought, "Could you tell me more about the connection?"

"We seem to have, well flashes I suppose, of memories that haven't happened yet. My thoughts seem to settle on him without intervention." Fleur told her. Tonks gasped and Fleur looked at her confused, "Is something the matter?"

"I...I've been having the same thing." Tonks said, "I woke one morning, just before the Tournament was announced and-"

"And you saw images of a future where you'd let fear and doubt ruin your life and the lives of people you care about?" Fleur finished for her. When Tonks nodded, Fleur looked at her mother, "We are both connected to Harry then?"

"It...it appears so." Apolline said slowly, "If you and Harry are connected, then it makes just as much sense that she could be as well."

Scene Break

Narcissa returned to Potter Manor after a brief trip to the Ministry. She was fuming, though it was hidden by her occlumency. She found Bellatrix watching the window. "Is something out there?" She asked her sister.

"Jim was here. He brought a pack of muggle playing cards. He was showing me how to play one of their games." Bellatrix said softly, still watching the window, "I wasn't doing well with the lesson. I snapped at him." Bellatrix turned to face Narcissa, "Our parents were very clear; a muggle is less than we are. Why do I feel guilty?"

"Possibly because he knows what you are and still came back," Narcissa replied in a deadpan voice, her irritation at events earlier in the day slipping into her voice. "Did you ever think, dear sister, that perhaps your temper is the problem here?"

"Don't you think I'm aware that I made a mistake?" Bellatrix replied, "That I do feel guilty? I just said I did. I feel guilty because I was rude to a man who hadn't done anything to deserve it because I'm still the obedient little daughter they made me with that fucking contract! I don't like it, that I feel this way." The raven-haired witch huffed in annoyance, "I can't even attempt to fix it. I can't leave here. I'm a prisoner, same as when I was at Azkaban."

"I will go to the muggles house and ask him to come back to see you. If he refuses, I will have to obliviate him, you know that?" Narcissa said. Bellatrix nodded and Narcissa turned, "With or without him, I will return shortly. I need to prepare a Black Letter to bring our cousin Sirius here. There has been a setback with one of my plans."

She left before Bellatrix could reply. _A 'setback'..._ She rolled her eyes as she moved much quicker than she had intended, what she had wanted to be a stately, if brisk stride, had turned into a quick-walk of annoyance. She'd spent all day waiting for a clerk to find the arrest and trial records for Sirius. She'd known he was innocent of course, Lucius had been all too pleased to gloat about the Dark Lords spy in the Order. But she'd at least thought that they would have made a false document. _A fake document could be revealed as such. The lack of a document means they can pretend that it is merely misfiled and 'search' for it until Hell freezes over._

" **Point me Jim Duncan's house!** " She said holding her wand onto her hand. Jim's blood was attuned to the wards of the Manor now, so it was a simple matter for her wand to direct her forward through the woods to the small cottage owned by the man.

It was a small, clean place. Were it not isolated in the middle of the woods with only a dirt path leading out to the main road a few miles away, it would remind Narcissa of the home Lily Evans had lived in. She knocked on the door, the moment her knuckles made contact, she heard the booming bark of the man's dog. She heard him walk up to the door, his muffled voice saying something to the door whose claws she heard on the floor as it raced back from the doorway. He opened the door and looked at her, "Yes, Mrs. Malfoy?" He said to her, not moving to allow her inside.

"Mr. Duncan, my sister is very sorry for her poor treatment of you. She would ask that you come back with me to the Manor so that she can apologize personally." Narcissa said to him, "She-"

"I'll stop you right there," Jim said holding his hand up, "She called me a muggle, granted that's what you call non-magical folk, I get that, but she insinuated that having magic somehow makes her better than me." He looked at Narcissa, "You say she's sorry, wonderful glad to hear it, but why should I keep trying to help her? I know she used to kill people like me without a second thought."

"That is true. But it wasn't truly her choice. Not at first. You'd be surprised at how different Bellatrix Lestrange is to how Bellatrix Black was." Narcissa said, "It isn't my story to tell, but if you will accompany me back to the Manor, you can ask her."

Jim didn't want to be forgiving. He had never liked superior attitudes. Even if he'd seen her watching him leave when he turned the corner. Bellatrix Lestrange was an odd woman, even if she wasn't a former prisoner for more crimes against humanity than any other criminal he could think off outside of high ranking members of the Nazi Party from his History classes at University.

Still, he supposed he felt pity, and that would probably be enough this time. "Fine. I'll go back and listen. But if I don't get a proper apology, I'll be back here before she can say 'magic'." Jim told her after a moment.

"Very well Mr. Duncan, let us be on our way. I have a lot to do and fixing my sisters mistakes was not on the list today." Narcissa told him as she turned to leave. She left the cottage to begin down the snowy path, hearing footsteps, she turned and saw that it was Jim with his dog. "Must you bring that dog with you everywhere?" She asked him.

"Hank likes her better than I do at the moment," Jim replied tersely.

Back at the Manor, Bellatrix paced. She didn't like being this way, trapped between regret for how she'd acted, and the rage she still felt. It hadn't even been that he was a muggle. She was trapped here, no one to talk to except for him. She'd got frustrated and- _No. You will not make excuses. This fragile flower bullshit is not who you are Bellatrix. You were strong enough to resist the compulsion when you killed Aunt Walburga._ She berated herself.

She looked out the window and saw them walking back towards the Manor. She drew in a deep breath to calm herself and steady her nerves. She heard the door open and the pair walked into the parlor. Hank saw her and began to tug at his leash, wanting to be scratched and petted. "I am sorry," Bellatrix began, "I snapped at you and you did nothing to deserve it. I behaved like a child and not a woman my age." She looked down in shame.

Jim rubbed his temples, "I- It's alright. We'll just start over." He hadn't planned on forgiving her so quickly. In truth, he hadn't been sure he would have forgiven her. But it was the lost look on her face that had led him to it. "Just try not to call me a 'thing' again."

"I'll leave you two to it," Narcissa said, leaving the two and making her way to her own private study. Once inside, she drew out a sheet of parchment and began to write.

 _Sirius,_

 _As you are no doubt aware, I am now the Seneschal for House Potter. In my duties, I have begun the process to have you re-tried, though as we both know, it is for the first time. I have hit a stumbling block; as there is no paperwork, they can continue to delay my requests. To that end, I need you to come to Potter Manor and meet with Amelia Bones personally._

 _Hence this letter, it is a Black Letter and will function as a timed portkey. I have sent word to Madam Bones through my niece that I wish to speak with her at exactly 10:00 tomorrow morning. This portkey will be set to bring you to the Manor at 9:00 tomorrow morning._

 _Narcissa_

She folded and sealed the letter, she would use the Malfoy owl that she had brought with her.

Scene Break

Tonks, Fleur, and Harry had left Apolline to her research. "The good news is that we have an explanation for how bizarre things have been," Tonks said with false good cheer disguising how overwhelmed she'd felt. "I know I hadn't planned on asking you out for a while, what with you being fourteen, but I guess if we were already soul mates once before I'll just have to stick around."

Harry rubbed his temple, "This year is going to win the prize for the biggest collection of insanity, I just know it." He sighed and then looked at the two women, "I'm sorry that I am the one you ended up stuck with."

That earned him a light smack on the shoulder from Fleur, "Yes, because being connected to you is truly the worst thing that could have happened." She said in a deadpan voice reminiscent of the more cold and haughty persona he had seen originally, "You are brave, you are loyal, and you stand a very good chance of being named the winner of this Tournament."

"How'd you figure that?" He couldn't help but ask.

"You are Harry Potter. If there is anything I've learned in the short time I've known you, it's that no matter how terrible life treats you, you find a way to get through it." Fleur said simply, "Now that we know that at some point in another life, we, the three of us, cared for each other...we can give the bond a chance to grow on its own."

Tonks nodded, "We can see for ourselves where this goes, and if we like it, then when you're another year or so older, the age of consent in Magical Britain is fifteen after all, then I will pull you into a broom closet and I won't let you out until both of our legs are jellified."

Harry grinned at that, feeling some of the tension break from him, "Well I'm technically a legal adult now.." He said, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

"Yeah, you are." Tonks admitted, "But emotionally, you are still a teenager and without getting all 'muggle afternoon special', it's wrong to sleep with someone who isn't emotionally ready for it."

"I was just kidding..." Harry said after a moment.

Tonks smiled, "I know kiddo, I was just messing with you," She sighed, "It is somewhat of a relief I guess. At least now, I don't think I'm going spare. Well, not more than usual anyway."

"Harry! There you are!" Hermione said, racing down the path that leads from the village to the Castle, "I couldn't find you, I was worried that-" She drew in a breath, "Where were you?"

"Just in the village. We met with Fleur's mother. Why, is something going on?" Harry asked her.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak and then closed it. For a moment, it looked as if she wasn't sure what to do, then she spoke, "I just wanted to know where you were. That's all. Thanks to...to what happened with Ron, I only have one friend. I wanted to make sure he was safe."

Tonks narrowed her eyes very slightly in thought. Something about Hermione had bothered her since making her acquaintance earlier in the year. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she trusted her instincts. "Well, we're all alive and happy." She said to Hermione, "We spent the morning with a former Unspeakable and she taught me a curse that turns your ears into wings."

Fleur chuckled at that, "She did threaten my father with turning his 'gentleman's area' into a hornet's nest." When that drew a wince from Harry, her chuckle turned into a full on laugh.

"'Gentleman's area'?" Tonks said after a moment, "Bollocks, knackers, his meat, and two veg, pick a euphemism that doesn't sound like my great-great aunt thought it up." She teased the blonde witch.

"In any event Hermione," Harry said as they began to make their way into the Castle proper, "I was just in Hogsmeade." Tonks and Fleur parted ways with the two fourth-year students, "I tell you what, let's go up to the Common Room and we can work on the egg together."

That earned an eager smile from Hermione, and the two made their way upstairs.


	18. Chapter 18

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Eighteen. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Eighteen: Dobby gets his wish

Sirius was surprised when the stately gray owl landed before him with a message strapped to its leg. "Now, who managed to get an owl through my ward?" he wondered as he cast a diagnostic charm. "Well, there are no curses, but there is something on a delay..." He frowned and released the owl from its burden. As he did so, he noted the embellishment on the leather harness the owl wore, "Ah, you are from Cissy...I suppose I can trust her then."

He opened the letter and read the note. _Hmm, She's set up a meeting with Amelia about my supposed trial._ He sighed and looked at the owl, "Well, you are still here so I'd better send some sort of reply." Sirius tore a strip of paper from one of the books he'd stolen out of the village and began to write.

 _Dear Cissy,_

 _If you think Ami can help, then so be it. I'll have the letter in hand at the appointed moment._

He didn't sign his note, instead, he tapped his wand, turning the text into an illegible scrawl. Satisfied, he rolled the note up and tied it to the owl, "Give Cissy my love." He said with a mock salute as the owl took to the skies.

Sirius looked at the letter then set it down. He decided to use his time to prepare for meeting Amelia for the first time in nearly fifteen years. He removed his robes and began to cast cleaning charms on them. It wouldn't be much, but it would better than their current mud-stained state.

Sirius didn't blame Amelia, not really. Barty Crouch Sr had run roughshod over anyone who tried to do things in any way other than exactly how he'd demanded it. From what he'd heard and read, Amelia was running a much tighter ship. Just like she'd always wanted to.

It was supposed to be different though. She was supposed to have her position as Director and he was supposed to have been there at her side. That had been the plan.

Then that Halloween happened.

The Dementors of Azkaban caught him many times before he learned that they would ignore him in his dog form. The memories were always the same: finding the Potters dead, and the look on Amelia's face as he was stunned and shipped off. It had been the last thing he'd seen before he woke in Azkaban and it still haunted him.

He didn't trust himself to cut his hair, so he merely used a water making charm to let him wash it as best he could. With his hair as washed as possible, and his clothes as clean as they were going to be, he was as ready as he could make himself for the next day.

Scene Break

Harry and Hermione pondered the great golden egg before them. "Whenever I open it, it screeches at me." He said to the witch, "So, how do you suppose we figure out what the clue is?"

"I'm not sure." Hermione said after a moment, "Perhaps a change of scenery could help?" They had been at it for a few hours now. When they had begun, the room had been filled with onlookers, each one wanting to be there for the moment when the secrets of the egg were revealed.

By and by though the students learned something: mysteries are boring unless you are the one actively unraveling them. Now the Common Room was nearly empty except for a few students who were studying with silencing charms up in order to avoid the occasional screech from the egg.

"Maybe that would be best..." Harry said after a moment before rising and putting the egg under his arm. "It's a nice enough day, maybe we could go to the shore of the lake and work on it there?" He suggested to her Hermione who nodded and went to the stairs leading to the girl's dorm to fetch her cloak.

Harry chuckled as he watched her. Knowing Hermione she would come down with at least one armload of books of various disciplines. Neville walked over while he waited, "I wanted to tell you, I don't think you put your name in, or that you found a way to cheat an Oath." He said to Harry.

"Thanks, Neville, I'm glad you don't think I did something impossible," Harry said with a wry smile that earned a chuckle from the other boy. "Seriously though, thank you."

"I mean it Harry, at this point I'd like to think I have some idea of how patterns work." Neville said, "The universe sets you up, you prevail. It's never because you go out looking for something death-defying, those events just come looking for you."

"Then how is it you managed to figure that pattern out and almost no one else has?" Harry asked, "Even Hermione is still mostly convinced that someone tricked me into putting my name in the Goblet."

Neville shrugged, "A lot of wizards aren't great with basic logic. If the same thing happens every year then odds are good its a pattern and predictable. Hermione not believing you is strange though." He thought for a moment, "You don't think she's under the Imperius curse, do you? After that class with Professor Moody, those curses are all I can think about some days."

Harry put a hand on Neville's shoulder, "I know that class was hard...for both of us. But I don't think Hermione is under the Imperius curse." _At least I hope not..._ He thought. When Hermione came down the stairs he noticed that he had been right; under her arm was a heavy looking stack of books. "Want a hand?" He asked her.

"Yes, please," Hermione said gratefully as she passed the stack to Harry whose knees buckled slightly under the weight.

"Hermione, did you have to bring the entire library?" Harry asked as he steadied himself. When he heard Neville chuckle he turned, "What's that? Hermione, Neville here wants to help, he said if you bring down another stack of books he'll carry those."

Hermione smiled, "That would be wonderful! I wasn't able to bring the advanced Charms textbooks I wanted!" She dashed upstairs leaving Neville glaring at Harry. Harry, for his part merely smiled innocently at his friend.

When Hermione returned, thrusting a stack of books into the arms of Neville, the pair left the Common Room, with Neville following out of a confused sense of obligation as well as a tingling feeling he'd gotten when Hermione had smiled at him when she gave him the books.

Arriving in the Courtyard they found a quiet corner and set everything down. "I think the first thing we should do," Hermione said, "is to re-inspect the markings on the outside of the egg." She ran her fingers along the edge, "It seems clear that they mean something...perhaps it's a language of some kind..."

Neville looked at it for a moment, "You know...Luna Lovegood does a lot of rune puzzles, I wonder if she could tell us something." He stood up, dusting himself off, "I saw her in the library earlier, I'll go check and see if she's still there." He made his way back towards the Castle as Harry and Hermione continued to study the egg.

Harry groaned softly as he spun the heavy metal egg in his hands, "Is the screeching a clue? Maybe this time I'll have to get past something that screams?" He thought for a moment, "What kind of monster could scream like that?"

"A mandrake isn't a monster, but it does have a piercing scream." Hermione said to him, flipping through a book, "Maybe you'll have to get past them?" She wrinkled her nose in thought, "Mandrakes have very distinctive leaves though, odds are good that you would recognize them."

"Maybe they are there to wrong-foot us? Make us think we're dealing with that when the real threat is something else?" Harry asked, "What if something is tied to the root that could cancel a silencing charm?"

A good theory and one that Harry and Hermione continued to discuss until Neville returned with a small blonde girl in tow. "This is Luna," He said as a way of introduction, "Her father is the editor of the Quibbler."

"I've never heard of it." Hermione said, "What sorts of things does your father write about?"

"Oh Daddy writes about many things," Luna said in a slightly spaced out tone, "He's working on another article about the Rotfang Conspiracy." She turned and looked at Harry, "Hello Harry Potter, it's nice to meet you for the first time again."

"'The first time again'? What does that mean?" Hermione said, "If you meet someone for the first time, then you didn't meet them again."

"You can if this you isn't the same as the you that met someone before." Luna said simply, "Neville said that you are working on your egg?" She asked Harry. When he nodded, she looked at it, "Have you tried learning Mermish?"

"M-Mermish?"

"Yes, it's the language of the Selkie. There is a tribe of them at the bottom of the lake." Luna said to him, "The markings along the edge state to open the egg in the water." She traced her finger along the edge, "See? Right there it says 'water'...they have sixty different words for current, did you know that?"

"Luna, I didn't know they existed until you said it." Harry told her simply, "Until I got my letter from Hagrid I didn't know anything about magic."

"Selkies are classified as 'near-human intelligent creatures'." Hermione offered, "They live in groups of twenty to thirty and are often found with kelpies and grindylows."

"They tame the kelpies to ride and keep grindylows as pets." Luna said, "They live in communities just like we do."

"Hermione, you were upset about the House Elves," Harry said, "You consider them people, so why would you jump to calling Mer- Selkies creatures?"

"I didn't call them creatures, I said they are classified as creatures." Hermione defended herself.

"Like House Elves, but the only reason I survived Lucius Malfoy trying to curse me was because Dobby-" Harry said before he was cut off by a pop and found himself flung backward thanks to a hug from the House Elf.

"Harry Potter has summoned Dobby! Does this mean Harry Potter wishes Dobby to be his bonded elf?" Dobby looked as if he'd just uttered his dearest wish, then at the look on Harry's face which his mistook confusion for revulsion.

At the shattered look on Dobby's face, Harry put a hand on Dobby's shoulder, "I thought you liked being free."

"Dobby liked being free of the bad old master." Dobby said, "Dobby would like to be Harry Potters bonded elf more than anything."

"Harry Potter! Don't you dare enslave that poor thing!" Hermione said glaring at Harry. Harry looked at Hermione with annoyance before looking back to Dobby.

"Why are you trying to kill Dobby, Hermione Granger?" Luna said, "Without bonding to a witch or wizard a House Elf will die." She turned to Dobby, "That's correct isn't it?"

Dobby shook his head sadly, "Dobby does not wish to force Harry Potter to bond. Dobby is a Hogwarts elf, the magic of the school is enough to survive off of."

Harry was puzzled, "Is that why you came when I said your name?" Dobby nodded and Harry thought for a moment, "If I do this, how does it work exactly?" He ignored the growing redness on Hermione's face as he focused on Dobby.

"Harry Potter just needs to hold his wand and claim Dobby as his House Elf," Dobby said with a smile. The tiny creature was bouncing in anticipation of being **the** House Elf of Harry Potter.

"Alright," Harry drew his wand, "I, Harry Potter claim Dobby as my House Elf!" Harry felt his magic swell and then flow out of his body and into Dobby. It was done and Dobby hugged Harry tightly.

"Thank you, Master!" Dobby said before leaping back and snapping his fingers. His former collection of socks was replaced by a simple linen robe with the symbol for the Potter family on its left breast.

"Please, it's Harry." Harry said to Dobby, "You're my friend, not my slave." He turned seeing the glare from Hermione, he'd practically felt her eyes boring into him.

Neville spoke up, mostly out of a desire to prevent an argument, "So, the markings are Mermish? That means whatever the challenge is, it involves going underwater." He thought for a moment, "Gillyweed!"

"Gillyweed?" Harry asked, "What's that?"

"It's a plant that if you eat it, it'll let you breathe underwater...for a little while. It's based on how much you eat of course." Neville said, "It's terribly expensive though."

Harry smirked, "Good thing I'm wealthy then." He looked at Dobby, "Dobby, can you find me a catalog for potion supply shops? I need to find one that has gillyweed."

Dobby nodded and then vanished. Harry looked back at the egg, "Now if the scratching on the outside is actually the written language, I wonder if the shrieking is what their language sounds like above water?"

Hermione watched as Harry picked up the egg and carried it to the shore of the lake. He opened the egg, filling the air with its horrible noise. Harry pushed it into the water, submerging it. The shrieking was replaced by a muffled singing. Cursing the cruelty of fate that led him to this moment, Harry shoved his head into the icy waters of the lake.

" _Come hear us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground._

 _And while you're searching ponder this, we've taken what you'll sorely miss._

 _An hour long you'll have to look, to recover what we took._

 _But past an hour- the prospects black, too late it's gone, it won't come back."_

Harry pulled his head out gasping, "They are going to take 'what I'll sorely miss' and stick it at the bottom of the lake." He pulled the egg out and sat up, "So, gillyweed can help me breathe, I'll ask Tonks and Fleur about spells I can use underwater."

"Fleur is a competitor." Hermione said, "You can't tell her." She looked at him, "The rules said you had to stand alone."

"In that case, I've been screwed since the first task. I've been getting help since this stupid thing started. I'm fourteen and I'm expected to take on challenges mean to be hard for a seventeen-year-old!" Harry looked at her, "How do you think I figured out what to with the dragon? Even Professor Moody tried to give me advice...he told me to play to my strengths and fly."

"Professor Moody gave me the book on gillyweed," Neville said, "So he's still helping you." Neville looked at Hermione, "Even if it was cheating and he lost his magic, I'd rather my friend survive."

Hermione looked down ashamed, "I want Harry to survive too." She did want him to survive. He was her best friend, and now he was probably her only real friend. This year had been strange. Ever since...something had happened just before the Weasleys picked her up. Sometimes she wondered if she should talk to Madam Pomfrey, but _it's nothing and I shouldn't worry..._ She blinked and her concern vanished and Harry and Neville discussed gillyweed and how it would work in freshwater.


	19. Chapter 19

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Nineteen. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells. As a heads up to those who may be sensitive; a Death Eater is going to do something bad.

Chapter Nineteen: Tulip

Tonks stared at the letter she'd received. Tulip Kurasu, her friend in the unspeakables had sent her the test results on the potion inside Harry's butterbeer. _The potion was brewed with water from Hogwarts. Judging by a few rudimentary errors, it had been done by a student, however, the overall quality of the brewing was well done. Most likely this is a young student, but one who is a good student in Potions._

She looked at the results included in the letter. Most of the information went over her head. But the important stuff had helpfully been circled in bright purple for her. This was enough to at least summon the other Aurors for an investigation into the Potions classes.

 _This is how I can best help Harry. He needs people in his corner trying to keep outside influences from affecting him._ The other letter she had received that day was from Amelia. Her cousin, it seemed, was no longer deemed 'kill on sight' level dangerous by the Ministry. He had willingly submitted to veritaserum and Amelia had personally interrogated him. She'd apparently liked what she'd heard because Sirius was due to appear in front of the Wizengamot to retake the seat for the Black family. _Hopefully, the first thing he brings up will be how much money they owe him for wrongful imprisonment..._ She thought and set that letter down. She would need to go to the Ministry and speak with Madam Bones so that she could appropriate a team of investigators, hopefully, she could get Bones to speak with Croaker and she could have Tulip with her.

There was a knock at her door, "It's unlocked!" She called out. The door opened and Hermione stood before her, "Harry's friend Hermione, right? What do you need?"

"I think something is wrong, but whenever I think that I begin thinking that nothing is wrong and I shouldn't worry. You are an Auror, can you think of what could be doing that?" Hermione asked nervously. She'd been thinking about it ever since Friday morning when she and Harry had been at the Lake with Neville and Luna. Now, on Sunday, she couldn't keep letting the insidious thought that nothing was wrong win any longer.

"Hmm, could be a compulsion charm." Tonks mused, "Do I have your permission to run a diagnostic charm?" She asked the girl. When Hermione nodded, Tonks drew her wand and cast the spell.

Albus Dumbledore was not a stupid man. He knew that eventually, someone might catch what he had done and so when the scan was cast, another spell triggered a reaction. Hermione and Tonks were both thrown back by a magical explosion as her spell was violently canceled.

"What the fuck!" Tonks said as she stood up, "That was-" _Nothing happened, I shouldn't worry about it._ She forced that thought out of her mind, "Come on Hermione, you and I are going to see someone I trust." She rose and took Hermione's arm, "We can use the floo in McGonagall's office."

Scene Break

Sirius couldn't believe it. He was free, more or less. Amelia had taken his testimony and declared that the 'kiss on sight' order would be rescinded. Then, she left, ostensibly to make her report regarding his status.

 _More likely that she'd thought being around each other was as bloody awkward as I did._ He thought sadly before sitting down in the room he'd claimed at Potter Manor. James had excited to have his best friend with him, and Fleamont and Euphemia had been just as pleased to welcome home the man who had practically grown up there.

The biggest shock had been that Bellatrix of all people, Bellatrix Lestrange, had a muggle friend. Well, he was kind of her friend. Jim Duncan was currently outside with Bellatrix, from the window, Sirius saw them walking his dog.

 _This is good for her. Even when she was dating Mooney, she wasn't very comfortable around muggles. When they broke up, she stopped pretending they were people in her eyes._ He thought as he watched Jim hand the leash to his cousin. Bellatrix, very tentatively, he thought, led the dog along the narrow path that led towards the ward boundary. The dog for its part seemed eager to pull Bellatrix along the pathway, stopping at trees chosen seemingly at whim to sniff.

"I asked him to come here once a week, but he generally comes over once a day. It's been good for her." Turning the voice, Sirius saw Narcissa standing there. "It gives her someone to talk to outside of our world. Lets her see them as people."

"She could have done that at any time." Sirius said, "What's different about him?"

"She could not, as you believe, have done this at any time. You left, as Andromeda did. You didn't see what became of us. Bound to men we didn't love. You weren't there the night she was forced to complete her binding to Rodolphus." Narcissa said lowly, "My sister was lost that night."

"Then she should have stayed with Remus, they-"

CRACK

Sirius was interrupted as Narcissa slapped him, "Don't you dare mention that foul mongrel in my presence!" She hissed, "He is the reason she had to stay with Lestrange."

"She broke it off with him." Sirius said, "I remember the day he came back to our flat. She'd told him to never come to her again."

Narcissa laughed bitterly, "Go ask the bastard why she didn't ever want to see him again." She left the room and Sirius in stunned silence.

Outside, Jim and Bellatrix had stopped at the edge of the ward boundary. "So, if you stepped out there?" He asked her.

"Then I would be stunned and our law enforcement would take me back to prison." She finished, "I'm stuck here until Madam Bones decrees that my term is concluded. Until then I can't do anything."

Jim thought for a moment, "I have an idea, let me take Hank back home and then I'll be right back, okay?" At her hesitant nod, he took the leash and departed.

Bellatrix watched him leave. _What are you planning?_ She wondered as his form shrank into the distance before vanishing. For a moment she wondered if she should go back inside, but decided to stay a little longer.

It had been nearly a month since Jim had begun coming by daily. Usually with some kind of muggle game to pass the time with her, other times he'd brought her something from the bakery in the village. It was...nice, having someone to talk to. She still didn't know if she trusted him. She didn't trust anyone really except for Narcissa after all.

She missed her wand. It was still locked up at the Ministry after she had been taken from Azkaban. Not having it made her feel helpless. Bellatrix had never liked feeling this way. Helplessness tended to herald panic attacks for her.

Then she heard a dull roar in the distance. The sound grew louder and she saw Jim coming up the path sitting atop a motorcycle. He had a dark red helmet and a leather jacket on. He pulled up in front of her, "The ward boundary is that silver line right?" He asked.

She nodded, "Why?"

He reached around and tossed her another helmet, "Slide that on and then hop on the back."

"What? Why would I want to do that?" She asked him, looking at the helmet curiously.

"You've been cooped up, I might not be able to take you into the village, but I can at least take you for a drive around the manor." He said to her, "C'mon, the ride will do you some good."

She relented after a moment and slid the helmet onto her head, "Like this?" She said looking at him.

"Close, let me help..." He said as he reached over and fixed her strap. "Does it feel secure?" He asked her, his hand slowly moving back from her face.

"It's fine." She said, violet eyes never leaving his. When he motioned for her to climb on, she did. She held on only slightly tighter than was necessary, as he led the bike on a circuit around Potter Manors grounds.

From the windows, they were watched. Sirius and Narcissa, each in their own rooms, spied on the two. Narcissa smiled as she watched them. Her sister had hurt for so long, but now, maybe there was a chance that, if not happiness, she could at least find peace.

Sirius, on the other hand, was trying to balance what he was seeing, with what he believed he knew. Remus had told him that she had cast him out. After that day, she'd stopped being the Bellatrix he'd known and had become the Bellatrix parents used as a boogey-woman.

Seeing her riding a muggle motorcycle, holding onto said muggle, was strange, to say the least. _Maybe I should get Mooney to warn him..._ Sirius thought, before drawing his wand and sending a patronus to find the other surviving Marauder.

Scene Break

Fleur and Evangeline were sitting with Harry and Neville at the bank of the Lake. Evangeline looked at the water dubiously, "I don't care what they put at the bottom. I wouldn't go in there for love or money." She thought for a moment, "Well maybe money. Love is stupid, but money buys you happiness."

"I thought the saying was 'money can't buy happiness," Neville said to the French witch.

Evangeline laughed, "You ever seen someone sad riding a Firebolt?" She asked him, "Money might not be happiness, but it can do a damn good job replicating it."

"Where's Hermione and Tonks?" Harry wondered aloud, "Hermione said she was going to bring her down here."

"I saw the two of them heading to McGonagall's office," Neville said, "That was two hours ago."

"I don't like this." Harry said, "I'm going to ask Professor McGonagall if she's seen them since then." Harry stood, causing the others to rise as well.

"I'm coming too," Fleur said.

Neville nodded, "Me too."

"I have nowhere else to be." Evangeline said shrugging, "Let's go find your pink-haired lady and bushy-haired lady-ette."

The quartet made their way back to the Castle, where they were met by Luna. "Luna," Harry asked, "Have you seen Hermione?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm sorry."

Harry frowned, "Come on, let's go." He said to the others. As he made his way towards the staircase, he didn't notice Luna had fallen in step with the others. He wasn't really paying attention to anything except trying to get to Professor McGonagall's office as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Scarhead!" An annoyingly familiar voice came as they rounded a corner, "Where's your mudblood shadow?" Draco watched Harry as he didn't break stride, with his usual bookends at his side, "I'm talking to you, Potter!"

"Malfoy, I don't have time for you. Much like your mother I have better things to do than be around you." Harry said, almost absently as he continued on. It was only his instincts as a Seeker that caused him to dodge the curse Draco sent at him.

"How dare you I-" and that was all from Draco. Evangeline dropped him with a stunning spell. Their leader unconscious, Goyle and Crabbe ran off quickly.

"He's very loud, not too mention stupid." She said, holstering her wand, "Neville, would you mind terribly finding this one's Head of House."

"I- maybe I should stay here and someone else should go. Professor Snape doesn't like me." Neville said hesitantly.

"Longbottom! Understating things a bit lad?" Growled Moody as he came around the corner, "You five go where you're headed, I'll take Malfoy to my office. I want to have a word with the little sod about shooting when someones back is turned." Moody levitated the body with his wand and with that the group continued on their way.

Once he had Draco inside an empty classroom, there was no reason to pretend that he was just Alastor Moody. He could be Barty Crouch Jr, and he very much liked it. He woke up Draco with a flick of his wand.

"Wha- Potter! I- where am I?" Draco asked, confused, his eyes darting from spot to spot in the room before settling on the man he believed to be Professor Moody. "Professor, Potter attacked me!"

"I saw who cast the spells. There were two of them Malfoy. A stunning spell by one of the French students, and a bowel-loosening curse by you." He smiled cruelly, "I don't much care for sneaks. Cowardly thing to do attacking someone with their back turned. When the Longbottoms were broken, they were broken face to face. When the McKinnon family was executed, every one of them was killed with their eyes open."

The false Moody looked at him, "That would make you worse than a Death Eater. Not because what you tried to do was especially heinous. You just used a very childish spell. No, what makes you worse is the fact that you weren't man enough to do it in front of him."

Draco watched as his Defense professor flicked his wand at the door, sealing it. He turned back to the boy and stared at him, "I believe a lesson is in order. Let's start with something my dear father was very skilled at.." He pointed his wand at Draco, " **Imperio!** "

Draco saw himself stiffen and then walk towards the desk. He tried to resist but was unable to as he struck his head against the desk hard enough to break his nose. " **Episkey!** " He heard Moody cry out and with an audible snap, his nose reset.

Then his head crashed into the desk again.

And again.

Eventually, Crouch grew bored of breaking, healing, and re-breaking Draco's nose. Instead, he had the boy lay on the floor and bound his hands and feet together. He applied a silencing charm and lifted the magical mind control, "Not very pleasant, is it? My father would do that for hours when he thought I was getting nasty things like ideas and thoughts of my own." He said to Draco, before taking a swig from his flask. "This one is a little different, he really liked this because it didn't leave any marks."

Crouch touched his wand to Draco's arm and began to chant softly. At first, it didn't seem to do anything, but then Draco noticed that he could feel _everything_ around him. He could feel the slight dampness of the air weighing down on him. "That was a spell developed during research into curing dragon pox. It was meant to numb the skin, unfortunately, it did the opposite. You are now hypersensitive."

Crouch knelt and flicked his nose. To Draco, it felt like his skin was split from his face, he screamed but the silencing charm meant that he couldn't make any noise. Smirking, he raised himself up and stomped down onto Draco's hand, grinding it against the floor. He laughed at the writhing boy and then kicked him in the ribs.

The pain was all Draco knew that day. He would pass out and then wake back up at the wand of the man he believed to be Mad-Eye Moody. Eventually, Crouch grew bored of his game and healed the damage before obliviating Draco of the past few hours. He left while Draco was unconscious. That had been exactly what Crouch had needed and as he made his way back to his office, he was smiling.

Scene Break

Tonks took Hermione to the Ministry as quickly and as quietly as she could. "Where are we going?" Hermione said as she was pulled into a hallway and taken to a lift that Tonks activated with her wand.

"We're going to see my friend Tulip. Whatever is affecting you, is affecting me. It's practically screaming in my head to not worry and that is pretty fucking worrisome!" Tonks said as the lift moved them lower into the building.

Tulip was at her desk when they arrived, "Dora, did you get my letter?" She asked, "I know Archimedes is a little slow, but it should have arrived by now." The auburn-haired woman then took in the teenager beside her friend, "Who's this?"

"This is Hermione, she's been hit by a spell. I tried a diagnostic charm and whatever was on her is on me. It's some kind of compulsion to ignore the spell." Tonks said, "Thankfully concentrating on my ability seems to help keep the feeling at bay enough that I can function."

"And her?" Tulip asked, in full-fledged unspeakable mode now. She turned to Hermione, "How do you feel?"

"I don't know how long it's been going on. I keep thinking, trying to remember when I first noticed it, but that's what seems to activate the 'ignore' part and that makes my head go fuzzy." Hermione said doing her best to recount what she remembered.

Tulip frowned, "Sounds like a compounded memory charm and a selected forgetfulness charm tied to a mild compulsion that keeps the target both from noticing the spells and from scanning them. That's a tricky combination. Do it wrong and you two would be drooling in the Thickney Ward of St Mungos." Tulip drew her wand, "Most likely a simple finite won't do the trick."

She paced for a time, stopping to look at them. She would stare at one of the witches and then mutter to herself. Eventually, she stopped, "If finite won't work, then that means we need to unravel the spells as they go." She stepped over to Hermione, "But would the person who cast the spell have a trace to let them know that the spell was removed?"

Finally, she snapped her fingers, "Hah! I've got it!" She cried and tapped her wand against Hermione's forehead. She pulled the wand back and Hermione was confused by the strange golden thread that had followed the wands movements.

"What is that?" She asked.

"I'm binding the spell. If I can't remove it safely, then the best thing to do is change the way it interacts with you. Now, while it's still there, it can't force you to forget." She smiled and moved over to Tonks, doing the same thing to her.

For Hermione, it felt like the first breath of air after a severe cold. She didn't have the slight fuzziness in her brain that had plagued her since before she'd left with the Weasleys. She still couldn't exactly remember what had happened, but now she could focus on it.

Tonks smiled, "Thanks Tulip, I knew you'd be crazy enough to figure out a solution."

"Anytime. I'll keep working on the spell combination I think is at work here. If I can figure out something better, I'll write to you again." Tulip told her, "However, I do feel confident enough to say that I think someone modified Hermione's memory and then charmed her to act as a spy. I found the compulsion charm. They were clever, it doesn't have a name, meaning they would have used a command like 'obey me' rather than 'you will obey Tulip Kurasu'."

"In that case Hermione, congratulations, you've just got a full-time new best friend. When I'm not with Harry, I'm with you." Tonks said, "We're going to figure out who did this and I'm going to put them in the worst cell in Azkaban."

Hermione went to respond when a small silvery cat appeared before them, it spoke in the voice of Professor McGonagall, "Auror Tonks, when you have a moment, please use the floo to return Miss Granger and yourself. There is a small gathering in my office who wish to make sure their friends are alright and I would prefer to have my office to myself again."


	20. Chapter 20

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Twenty: In which Jim Duncan spills his coffee

Jim Duncan sat in his office preparing a letter to be faxed to a client. He looked at it and then reached over for his mug of coffee. _Damn_ Jim thought _empty...oh well I'll just get up and fix myself another one._ He enjoyed the quiet of the late morning in his office. Perhaps it was his job, he was a loan officer who specialized in nonprofit organizations, not an especially exciting field, but it was enough to pay his bills and that was all that mattered.

He stood up from his desk and picked up the mug, making his way out of the office and into the hallway towards the break room. As he filled his mug Jim looked out the window and noticed that it looked like it was going to rain. He also noticed a man appear out of nowhere in the alley opposite his office. _Hmm, must be one of them out for a stroll..._ He thought as he watched the tall, shabbily dressed man cross the street. He seemed to be heading to his office building. Frowning he grabbed his mug and headed to the lobby just in case he was indeed heading his way.

It turned out that he was correct. The doorbell jingled before he made it when he entered he saw the man standing in his lobby. "May I help you?" He said curious as to who this man was.

"My name is Remus Lupin, I was wondering if we could speak about a mutual acquaintance?" The man said to him.

 _So this is Bellatrix's ex-lover..._ Jim thought as he examined him. Bellatrix hadn't said a great deal about Remus Lupin, save that they'd been very close once. Remus didn't look like much, he mused, old clothes with frayed ruffs and what looked like it had been chestnut brown hair was already starting to gray slightly. "We can speak in my office, follow me." He replied, motioning for the man down the hallway towards his office.

Once inside the office Jim closed the door, "I take it this is about Bellatrix?" He said sitting back down at his desk and motioning for the man to sit down opposite him.

"It is," Remus nodded, "Bella is-"

"Bellatrix to you. I know enough from what she's said to know that she would prefer if you called her Bellatrix, Mr. Lupin." Jim said interrupting him.

Remus frowned for a moment and then continued, "Bellatrix, then. She's never been very friendly towards your kind."

"What kind? Loan Officers? Presbyterians?" Jim said with false innocence, "Or do you mean 'muggles'?"

"Muggles." Remus said, his lips thinning slightly, "I am concerned that she is going to try to use your trust in her to harm you once she has access to a wand."

"I'm not. She's told me enough of what she did in the past. She wants a better life than the one she had before." Jim said defending her. "She's never tried to act innocent or harmless around me. The first time I brought a deck of cards with me she wouldn't touch them without a pair of gloves."

"The Longbottoms would have wanted a better life for their son than being raised by his grandmother. Bellatrix, along with her husband and brother-in-law and another made sure that didn't happen." Remus said, lifting from the chair, "The muggles she tortured wanted a better life than the one they had as well."

"And Bellatrix asked you to stop her and you refused." Jim said softly, "She begged you in fact." He stood up, "Those lives she ended, the Longbottoms and the muggles, you are as responsible for her being there as anyone else." Jim walked to his door, "I believe we've had enough discussion, Mr. Lupin, good day." With that, he held the door open, indicating to Remus that it was time for him to leave.

Remus walked out swiftly. As he did, Jim made a decision. _Someone told him who I am. Only three people know I spend time with Bellatrix. Narcissa wouldn't send someone to warn me against spending time with her sister. Bellatrix hates the man so she wouldn't have spoken to him. That just leaves her cousin._ He gritted his teeth in annoyance and made his to his desk and then swiftly rose, jostling his mug and spilling his coffee. "Damn it!" He said cleaning the spilled coffee as best he could with napkins from his breakfast. The job completed, Jim made his way back to the lobby, "Marcy, I'm heading out. I'll return after lunch." He said in passing to his secretary as he walked out of the door.

He went to his car and climbed inside. As he fired the ignition a cheerful tune played on the radio advertising that true happiness could only come to a man if he spent forty quid on getting his spine re-aligned by a particular chiropractor. He turned the radio off and started back down towards his home.

As he sat at a train crossing roughly half-way to his home he found himself thinking about how Remus Lupin had appeared in the alleyway. _That's got to be better than sitting in this rubbish._ He thought as he watched compartment after graffiti-covered compartment pass by him. _I kind of wish Bellatrix was here, at least then I could have someone to talk to._

Bellatrix was a very complicated person. Equal parts fascinated and disgusted by his world, she still depended on him as someone to talk to. Her sister was busy in London most days and Bellatrix and her cousin tended to stay at opposite ends of the Manor while he recuperated from his own time as a prisoner and then as an escapee.

It had started as pity, but over the months they'd spent time together he'd come to realize something. Prickles and all he liked spending time with her. He smiled at that thought, as well as the train finally clearing the line allowing him to continue driving.

He took a moment at his house to give Hank a scratch and check his bowls for both food and water. Task complete he made his way down the path from his house to Potter Manor.

Bellatrix heard the knocking and went to the window. _Jim is usually at work this time of day, why is he here? Is it Jim? What if it's someone using a potion?_ Thoughts of treachery whether from her former master or the wizarding world at large began to fill her mind. Taking a heavy letter opener and sliding it into her sleeve she downstairs to open the door.

Opening it, she peered out, not letting him inside. "What are you doing here?" She nearly hissed, "You don't get off work until much later."

"I was visited by a wizard today." Jim began, " There are only three people aware of who I am in your world. Two of them I know would not send Remus Lupin to 'warn' me about spending time with you. The other one-"

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! YOU GET YOUR NARROW ASS DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" Bellatrix shouted before grabbing Jim's hand and pulling him into the foyer. "Remus Lupin came to see you?" She said looking furiously at him, "How did he even know where you worked?"

"How would I know?" Jim replied as she continued to tug him into the house. "I talk to you, occasionally to your sister, and once to your cousin."

"You bellowed Bella?" Sirius asked from behind them. It was clear that he found his statement clever. It was equally clear that he was the only one.

"Why did Remus Lupin come to warn Jim about me?" She asked, releasing Jim's hand and coming to face her cousin. Despite being nine years older than her cousin, Bellatrix was still shorter by nearly a head than Sirius. "How did he know where Jim worked?"

"I didn't tell him to warn Jim about anything. Only to talk to him." Sirius said wincing as Bellatrix poked a finger into his chest.

"Let's go back to the other question," Jim said after a moment, "How did he know where I worked?"

When Sirius was silent Bellatrix stepped back so she could use her full strength to punch Sirius, "Was it a tracking charm or did you follow him as that mangy mutt?" She demanded as Sirius rubbed his jaw.

Sirius winced as he spoke, "I swear your fist is like a tiny javelin. It was a tracking charm on his car alright? We were worried that-"

"That what? That I was going to kill him?" Bellatrix snarled, "Crazy Bellatrix can't possibly have made a friend could she?" Jim knew the quiver in her voice, behind the rage was sadness.

To his credit, Sirius looked somewhat guilty, "We were worried-"

"I can take care of myself," Jim said, "I trust her." He looked at Bellatrix, there was a tiny curve to her lips that suggested the knowledge of his trust pleased her. "She has never hidden her past from me."

"I'm sorry then," Sirius said, quickly leaving the two.

Silence hung in the air of the foyer. "Thank you," Bellatrix said quietly, her gaze lowered. She hadn't been on good terms with Sirius for many years, but it had still stung. Proof that she was still evil in his eyes.

"I meant it." Jim said, "I do trust you." He smiled as she finally looked into his eyes, "You need people who are willing to be on your side. If they won't, then I guess it's up to me...if you want it that is."

She nodded, afraid to voice what she was feeling at the moment.

Scene Break

Once Tonks brought Hermione back through the floo to Hogwarts she knew she needed to speak to Professor McGonagall about what had happened. Minerva McGonagall had been an Auror before becoming a Professor. Tonks knew that the older woman would be willing to help her in figuring out who could have been involved.

"The potion given to Harry came from Hogwarts. According to the results of the tests, it went through the brewer was most likely a student, but a gifted one." She explained, showing the report to Minerva. "As for Hermione and myself, Hermione had a rather complicated set of compulsion charms placed upon her to act as a spy and an agent. When I tried to remove them I was hit by a contingency spell that tried to keep me from noticing it anymore."

Minerva read through the report on the potion that had been in Harry's butterbeer. "I can't believe it. Who could do such a thing?" She asked almost absently, "You mean you believe a student is the culprit?"

"I do. For the potion anyway. A student that wanted Harry to lose, or worse." Tonks said grimly, "But the compulsion charm and the other spells? Those were far above even a seventh-year. We don't learn counter-measures for things like this until our second year in the Academy."

She looked over to where Harry was hugging Hermione and then back to Minerva, "I'll be bringing in a full inspection team to check out the Potion Lab and to question the students we feel would have the most to benefit from Harry losing...or worse."

Tonks' hair flitted between brown and black as she paced around the desk, "I have a feeling our primary suspect for the potion is my cousin Draco." She admitted, "That's the easy one, his mother will definitely allow for questioning under veritaserum."

"But the charms." Minerva said, "Someone very powerful would be required to cast charms like that." She frowned, looking over to Hermione, "Miss Granger, is there anything at all you remember?"

Hermione sighed, still not moving from Harry's arms, "I've tried Professor. Something happened before the Weasleys picked me up for the World Cup, but I don't know what." She tried to focus on that morning, she could feel the charm trying to affect her but the spell Tulip had cast kept it at bay. "Perhaps if we were to speak to my parents, maybe whatever happened to me didn't affect them?"

"Doubtful," Minerva said after a moment, "Someone who would make a backup charm to prevent removal would have made sure everyone in the house had their memory of them removed."

Hermione looked down, finally removing herself from Harry. "Someone stole my free will from me. There has to be something we can do!"

"Question," Evangeline said from her own place leaning against the wall, "Your family, they are muggle correct?" When Hermione nodded she continued, "My father is non-magical he uses an office on the edge of our property for his work, do you have any sort of security system on your home? Papa has cameras to make sure no one gets in to see his work."

"We don't." Hermione said, then her eyes grew large, "But our neighbors across the street do! Mr. Wallace works from a home office and they have a camera system for their insurance."

"That's brilliant Evangeline!" Neville said earning a smile from the witch, "Auror Tonks, could you have someone ask them if you could look through their camera?"

"I'll send a message to Madam Bones. Hopefully, we can have someone there by the morning." Tonks said her hair turning bright pink at the thought of catching both of the people responsible for what had befallen Harry.

"Good. If you have need of me I will be ready to assist." Minerva said to Tonks, "Mr. Potter, before you leave, I would ask that you be prepared with formal robes in time for the Ball."

"What Ball?"

"Traditionally there is a Yule Ball held during the Tournament. Each Head of House will be giving a presentation about the Ball later this week." Minerva replied, "You will, as a Champion, be expected to open the Ball."

Harry groaned softly earning a laugh from the others. "I'm not much of a dancer Professor."

"You will need instruction so that you do not embarrass yourself, or my cousin." Evangeline said, "I will help you with that."

"I'm a fair dancer," Neville said, "I could help you as well."

"It's settled then Mr. Potter, you have Miss Lalaurie and Mr. Longbottom to help you prepare," Minerva said to him. "Auror Tonks has her work to do and I have mine. I'm sure you all have better things to do than stay inside my office."

The message was clear, it was time to go. Tonks watched them depart before turning to Minerva, "That was an interesting way to get them out of the room. Bit of a hard stop wasn't it?" Tonks said to the other witch.

"Perhaps, but my suspicions are best left away from their ears," Minerva said drawing in a breath. She reached into her desk and pulled out a bottle of amber liquid and two cups. She poured a measure into each, "Drink." She directed.

Tonks took the cup, one taste told her what it was. "Sh- I mean Merlin, that's the strong stuff!" It was Ogden's finest, the strongest firewhiskey available.

Minerva drained her glass with practiced ease, "Indeed it is. Things have occurred this year, especially since Mr. Potter's name was drawn from the Goblet. I fear that I know who cast the charm on Miss Granger."

"Who?"

"Albus," Minerva said sadly looking at the bottle before her and pouring another glass. "These sorts of charms are indeed beyond most witches and wizards. It would take a brilliant mind to devise them, and a powerful wand to cast them."

"A wand like the one Dumbledore took from Grindelwald?" Tonks asked a pit in her stomach growing deeper as Minerva nodded grimly.

"Damn you, Albus, why would you do this?" Minerva said quietly, "You claim to love the boy like he was your own..."

The two spent more time in her office discussing Minerva's suspicions. Tonks wasn't sure how to go about taking Dumbledore in for questioning, but she knew one thing. Even if it took every Auror in the department, she would have him in an interrogation room.


	21. Chapter 21

Your Love Is All The Magic I Need

A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-One. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.

Chapter Twenty-One: Dancing in the Dark

The group left Minerva's office and went in search of a space to call theirs. Harry walked between Fleur and Hermione while Neville was sandwiched between Luna and Evangeline. Evangeline had noticed the blush on Neville's cheek when she stood close and decided to capitalize on it. The Heir to the Longbottom family was still hidden behind a layer of baby fat and buckteeth, but she had a feeling that he would grow into a very handsome man one day. _Maybe we can coin the term 'Longbottoming' for when he becomes a stud._ She thought and laughed quietly to herself.

"Alright, we need to get Harry trained up for the dance," Neville said as they made their way along a corridor past a tapestry of dancing trolls. "Maybe a room with some music playing." He stopped and went past the tapestry again as he thought aloud, "Maybe we could find a room with some chairs for the rest of us to sit." He heard a soft oath from Evangeline as a door appeared in front of them.

"When did that door appear?" She asked the others.

Shrugging, Harry opened the door. Inside they found a great empty room with soft chairs along one wall and on the side, there was a piano playing softly by itself. "I love magic..." He thought as he stepped into the center of the room.

As Harry stood there the music stilled as if the piano was waiting for a command. "We might as well start with something easy, like a waltz." Neville suggested, "Uh, Piano? Could you play a waltz for us, Chopin's _Spring Waltz_ if you know it?" It felt awkward asking a piano to play music, but at this point in Neville's life, things had reached more of an acceptance level with oddness.

The piano keys began to move again and a tune began to play. Harry shook his head, "This isn't Chopin, Neville, it's _Marriage of Love._ " Harry laughed, "This song is only Hermione's age."

"We need to be careful," Luna said to them, "Misquoted music can lure tub-thumping Chumbawumps." Seeing the blank look of the others she continued, "They will knock you down and when you get up again they'll knock you back down. They do their best to keep their victims down."

"Luna, I do not wish to insult you," Evangeline began, "But if you ever confess to having an illicit substance on your person I would like to buy some of it." That earned a laugh from the blonde girl. "Please continue," Evangeline said to her.

"The best way to ward against them is with particularly loud music. Preferably Muggle Stone music." Luna finished.

Harry looked at Luna, "Are you sure you don't mean 'Rock'?" When she thought for a moment and nodded Harry called out, "Hey Piano, can we get _'Sweet Child O' Mine'_?" The waltz stopped and a different song began to play.

Fleur pulled Harry's arm, drawing him closer to her, "I like this one." She said as she began to lead him into an energetic dance. Harry was very skilled on a broom, however, dancing was not his forte and it showed as he tripped into her. The magic in this room was strong however and Harry and Fleur landed on a soft chaise lounge. "Normally there are a few steps in between a couple's first dance and laying like this." She said teasing Harry and thoroughly enjoying the red on his cheeks.

"Haha." Harry said dryly, "Well if we are already at the 'laying on top of each other' stage, does this mean I still have to buy you a corsage?" He asked, earning a giggle from the woman in his arms.

"Yes," Fleur said as she lifted herself off of Harry allowing him to sit up. She didn't exactly leave his side though, choosing to just sit beside him. "A corsage, and I expect a full night of dancing."

Harry sighed, "Just with you? I can handle that. I think." When he heard Hermione and Luna cough he closed his eyes and drew in a breath, "I can also dance with Hermione and Luna." Evangeline didn't cough she just stared at him, "And Evangeline too. I'll have to see if Tonks can dance or if she'll just be security. If She can and I don't ask her to dance then she'll probably-"

"Cut them off and feed them to you?" Evangeline helpfully supplied. When everyone looked horrified except for Fleur she shrugged, "My mother threatened to do that to my father once, well it was more like every day for a week or so each month."

"As ever, your family is a horror show." Fleur said to her cousin, "No wonder your aunt Jeanette never comes to visit."

Evangeline laughed at that, "Auntie Jean has visited a few times. Mostly out of obligation and to stay on the family wards." The truth was that Jeanette had never forgiven her sister for 'stealing' the handsome squib they'd met at the cafe in Paris that summer. When Peter Prewitt fell in love with Genevieve Lalaurie, nearly, at first sight, her twin sister had gotten very cross with them. Jeanette being a gifted researcher threw herself into that and largely abandoned her family in favor of a small lab she'd bought in the magical district of Paris.

Neville looked at the piano, "As much fun as this is, maybe we should start practicing? Piano, play a waltz again please." The piano complied and beautiful music began to play for them. "Alright, let's begin the lesson."

Harry was no stranger to grueling exertion. Summer after summer with the Dursleys proved that. However, meeting the expectations put upon him by Fleur in this lesson proved to him just how lax his abusive relatives had been. "Come now Harry, it's not that hard. Watch Neville and Evangeline, they are doing perfectly well." She teased him lightly, "Even Hermione and Luna are dancing together better than we are."

Harry shrugged, "I'm more of a flier than a dancer I guess." He looked into her eyes and suddenly found the idea of dancing slightly less awful. He drew her slightly closer, "We never did officially do this but, will you be my date?"

"Silly boy." Fleur said laughing softly, "You are my date." She leaned in and kissed his cheek softly. As they began to sway together Fleur had another tickle in her brain like a flash of the previous life was brought forth in her mind.

 _Fleur looked at the notice. Whatever child she would have would inherit a trust vault from the Potter and Black vaults. She shook her head and then threw the notice into the fireplace in front of her. Bill Weasley was a decent man and if she hadn't fallen for Harry Potter she could have found her happiness with him._

 _But she had. She loved the man who was now buried with his parents in Godric's Hollow. She visited his grave often, usually alone, but sometimes she was accompanied by Tonks. The two had admitted their feelings regarding Harry to one another during one of the visits. Every year they would ignore the celebrations and instead come to the cemetery and spent the hours that signified the time of the battle with Harry._

Fleur blinked and the images of two women crying over the man they loved vanished, replaced by the smiling face of the very same man, albeit younger. Blinking away tears she didn't know she'd been crying, she kissed Harry as if she could, with that kiss, take away the pain of that Fleur and that Harry.

Harry was stunned but slowly began to kiss back. He knew the others were staring at them, but he didn't care. He kissed back. He knew the music had stopped now that no one was dancing, but he didn't care. For as long as he felt the soft lips of Fleur against his, Harry was determined to continue kissing them.

Evangeline looked at Neville for a moment and a puckish idea overtook her. Grinning, she pulled him close and kissed him. Pulling back she giggled at the deep red blush on his cheeks. "You make a fine dance partner Neville Longbottom, but your kissing needs work." She flicked his nose gently, "I don't mind helping you with the second part, but I believe that you need to share your gift of dancing with the others." With that, she walked over to Luna and Hermione, "Ladies, our Mister Longbottom is ready to trip the light fantastic with one of you." She looked at the two for a moment, "Neville, why don't you dance with Hermione?" She winked at Luna, "I prefer tiny adorable blondes over brunettes."

The others continued to dance and the music began to play again. Meanwhile, Harry and Fleur continued their dance irrespective of the music or the others. It was only when Harry felt a warm hand on his shoulder that the kiss broke. Turning he realized it was Tonks, "Little bugger named Dobby showed up when I left McGonagall, he must have known I was coming to talk to you." She smiled, but there was no joy in her eyes. Tonks' hair was a dull brown, duller than Harry had ever seen, except for in his dreams.

"What's wrong?"

"Not here." She said quietly taking his hand, "Follow me please." He'd never seen her like this before.

"Tonks? What is it?"

She pulled him gently, but firmly out of the room. "Not here." She repeated quietly as she led him into another room. Once inside he watched as she applied locking and silencing charms on the door. "While I was in McGonagall's office she told me that she believed only one person could have done all this." She looked down at the floor, "Albus Dumbledore."

"The Headmaster? But why?" Harry couldn't believe that. It didn't make sense to him. Dumbledore couldn't possibly have tried to injure or kill him, could he?

Tonks scuffed the floor with her shoe, "I don't know. I don't want to believe it. When I became an Auror it was in part because he sent an owl specifically telling them that he believed I would be an asset." She looked up, "I'm telling you this," Tonks said drawing in a breath, "because I believe you deserve to know. This way you can be aware if something seems weird. If something does seem weird, I don't care if you have to kick him in the goolies and run for it, I want you to find me."

"How can I possibly get past him if he decides he wants to bypass being sneaky and just go straight to killing me?" Harry asked her, "What if he tried to hurt one of my friends again? What if he decides that you or Fleur are threats?"

Tonks hugged him, "I'm going into Muggle London and I'm going to buy a few cans of mace, it's a repellent made from hot pepper extract. Short of an immediate bubblehead charm, it's impossible to defend against. I want you and all of your friends to carry it. While I'm out I'm going to stop at the Weasley home. If Hermione was used like this, what's to say Ron wasn't as well." She said quietly, "Please be careful while I'm gone. Don't go anywhere alone if you can help it. Hell, tell Dobby to follow you invisible to the boy's room."

"I'll be careful if you promise to be careful too." Harry said quietly, "I wanted to ask you to dance with me at the Ball."

She smiled at that, "Well I guess I need to make sure I don't die or get crippled before the dance then." She leaned in and kissed his cheek softly, "I'm still a little squicky about being with someone so young, but I think by the Yule Ball I'll be a little more prepared to share you."

"Squicky?"

"Squicky. It's a word my friend Tulip came up with to describe a level of discomfort somewhere between nausea and cold chills." She explained, "I'm a grown woman, but I know that you and I, okay you, me, and Fleur I guess, we are supposed to be together."

Harry nodded, "Before you leave, do you want to come back to room and dance with us?" He asked her. She thought for a moment and nodded letting him lead her into the hallway and back to the room.

Scene Break

Narcissa looked at the letter she received from a friend in the Department of Mysteries. One of the other researchers believed that a student had brewed the potion that nearly killed Harry Potter. She closed her eyes and drew in a steadying breath. She needed to speak with Severus. She might hate Lucius, but she still believed there was a chance to save something of her son.

Snape sat in his office when his fireplace glowed green and he saw the face of Narcissa. "Narcissa, do you need something?" He asked, "Normally parents send owls."

"Yes, but you are Draco's godfather. This isn't a parent and a teacher conversation Severus, this is a parent and godfather conversation. Alice Chook in the Department of Mysteries overheard one of her co-workers. She tested the butterbeer P- Harry was drinking before the first task. She believes it was a student. I need you to tell me if you think Draco could have done this?"

He was silent, but Narcissa knew the little motion of his jaw. He was thinking and she didn't think she would like the answer. "It is possible." He began slowly, "He did borrow one of my advanced textbooks over the summer after all."

"If he did this, he will be expelled at the very least, possibly even put in Azkaban." Narcissa said, "What can we do?"

"I will speak to him. If he has done anything, I will do my best to keep him out of it." Snape promised her. Even as he spoke he thought of whom he could place the blame on. He knew he would need to work fast. If the Aurors used veritaserum on him he wouldn't be able to lie to them. It would be better if he could find another student and use them as a scapegoat. _Perhaps Theodore Nott or Zabini..._ He thought as he disconnected the floo call.

Narcissa pulled from the fireplace and went back to her desk. It was quieter here at Potter Manor. Sirius and Bellatrix weren't speaking to each other after their fight. Narcissa couldn't really blame her sister. She'd seen the beginnings of the relationship between Bellatrix and the muggle- _Jim, Bella wouldn't care for you calling the man she's spending time with 'muggle'_ She corrected herself quickly. Sirius had ostensibly had good intentions when he'd sent the message to Remus Lupin, but it hadn't been his place. He wasn't even Lord Black anymore now that he had shifted the title onto Harry. She reached into the drawer and found the small bottle of firewhiskey that Fleamont Potter had hidden there Merlin knows how many years before he died. She took a sip directly from the bottle, wincing as the magical liquor made its way south towards her belly.

This wasn't the life she'd imagined for herself. In many ways it was better, she was free of Lucius, her sister was out of Azkaban and was, as she looked out of her window, happily riding on Jim's motorcycle along the edge of the property. But it had also forced her to face the rot behind their world.

Another sip and then she put the bottle back, making another mental note to bring a glass and keep it in the drawer. _The House of Black and the House Potter will see their way through this, even if I have to kill everyone who stands in our way._ She swore to herself as she looked out the window and watched as the sun began to slowly set filling the sky with a golden light.


	22. Chapter 22

**Your Love Is All The Magic I Need**

 **A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Two. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells. I am back from an unplanned hiatus. I didn't plan to take so much time off, but let me tell you a story: once upon a time my laptops hard drive basically exploded so I had to wait to buy a new one. The end.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Two: Tonks goes Alpha**

Tonks made her first stop in London at a shop she'd frequented ever since she became an Auror. It was a small pawnshop that carried a little bit of everything, as pawnshops typically did, but this one was owned by a friend of hers. Barnaby Lee was, simply put, one of the biggest men she'd ever met besides Hagrid. He was a 'massive mound of muscles' his wife Liz Lee nee Tuttle called him. "Wotcher Barney!" She called out grinning as the man scooped her into a hug.

"Tonks, good to see you!" Barnaby exclaimed as he hugged his friend. Barnaby was a tall man with short curly black hair. He had graduated Hogwarts in her year but had stayed very much in the lower half of their standings. The only class he had really excelled in was Care of Magical Creatures, and that was because the woman he would end up marrying was determined to become a Magizoologist like her hero Newt Scamander. "Your package arrived this morning. Liz wanted to open it, but Beane did a good job warding it."

'Beane' in this case was Mike Beane, a Ravenclaw who had moved to the United States with his partner Rowan after graduation when Rowan had gotten a job offer at Illvermorny. Mike was a gifted runecrafter, but in this situation it had been his ability to buy items that were legal in his country but not legal in hers. Barnaby brought a box from under the counter once the hug broke. It looked completely ordinary and was addressed to Barnaby. She tapped her wand on the box and the label changed to her name. "Paranoid as ever, eh Mikey?" She thought to herself as she took a letter opener from the counter and pierced her finger. She touched the bleeding finger to the box and it began to open itself revealing six cans of bear repellent. There was a note beside the cans, _ _Tonks, couldn't find six cans at my usual shop, but the man said this was stronger. Remember away from the face you walking hazard. Ro sends his love. Mike.__ She smiled as she read the letter.

"Why does he always send this stuff to me first?" Barnaby asked her as Tonks shrank the package down and put it into her pocket.

"Simple; he's a paranoid bugger. He knows that being an Auror my mail is more inspected by the Ministry. You run a pawnshop, so all he needs to do is use that warded tape to make it appear completely uninteresting to anyone besides a wizard and then send it through the Muggle post." Tonks said to the tall man, "So, with that out of the way, how's Lizzie?"

Barnaby laughed, "Getting bigger every day. Twins according to the medi-witch." He smiled fondly as he thought about his spouse. "She's planning on working with Charlie for a few months after they're born and she's rested."

"Sounds like Lizzie," Tonks said laughing with the man. "Is she planning on learning their names, or will she just assume that kids respond to 'Thing One' and 'Thing Two'?"

"We have names already worked out." He said, completely missing the joke.

Tonks completed her conversation and apparated out of the shop. Her next stop was the Burrow, she wanted to talk to the Weasleys about Ron. She knew that Ron had been a jealous git to Harry, she doubted very seriously that this was a case of a charm affecting his mind. Still, it was only right, she felt, to go and speak to the family. She had been close to them once, _I wonder if Molly has forgiven me for breaking up with Charlie?_ She thought as she arrived at the ward boundary for the ramshackle home of the Weasley family.

She knocked on the door of the house. After a moment the door opened and Molly stood there. "Dora, what are you doing here?" She asked, "Ron is still at the Ministry." She sounded tired to Tonks' ears as if current events had become a weight on her.

"I didn't want to talk to Ron, I wanted to talk to you. Well you and Arthur, but he's at work." She said as they stepped inside, "I wanted to ask you about the summer. Hermione said somethings and I wanted to know if you'd noticed anything odd?"

Molly thought for a moment, "Hermione and her parents did seem a little more scattered than we'd expected. Arthur thought it might have been the portkey travel for Hermione." She said as she tried to recall the day.

Tonks frowned, "That's in keeping with what we've discovered. We've found evidence that someone had her under compulsion and memory charms. Powerful ones at that." She looked at Molly sadly, "Do you remember her saying anything about someone visiting before she left with you?"

Molly shook her head, "I'm sorry I don't remember anything like that." She frowned softly, "The poor dear, her and Harry. You have to know that we didn't have any idea what Ron was doing." She said, "Had I known he was being so juvenile towards his best friend I would have brought him home and sorted him out."

"No one is blaming anyone for Ron's situation but Ron." Tonks assured her, "I have a theory who is to blame, but right now that's all it is."

Molly nodded, "Would- Could I give you something to take to Harry? To show him there are no hard feelings? If you wish you can hold it and perform every charm you can come up with." She asked, "We owe that boy our daughter's life, I couldn't bare the thought of him thinking we hate him."

Tonks thought about it and then nodded, "I'll take it. But I will be casting detection charms on it here and before I give it to him." She warned, "Nothing against you Molly, but I want to make sure it's safe." _For my boyfriend..._ She thought as Molly handed her a small parcel.

Tonks set it down and waved her wand. "No glow, I'm sorry Molly, but we can't be too careful," Tonks said as she re-holstered her wand. "So what is it?"

Molly smiled at the little box, "Some treacle tart for him." She replied, "I know he loves my recipe." She sighed and sat down at the kitchen table, suddenly looking older than Tonks had ever seen her, "He's always in danger isn't he?" She said quietly, "Fred and George couldn't get past the line, how did his name get past it?"

"You knew?" Tonks asked her.

She nodded, "The twins needed one of Aunt Muriel's depilatory potions in order to lose those awful beards."

"Well, I'll get these to Harry," Tonks said, "If you need anything..."

Molly nodded and Tonks left for Hogwarts.

Scene Break

Severus brought Draco into his office. "Did you use a potion on Potter?" He asked tersely once the door was closed and its built-in silencing charm applied itself.

"Weasley did," Draco replied cautiously.

"Do not lie to me Draco. Your mother is terrified that you will end up sharing a cell with your father." The sallow-faced man said as he sat down at his desk, "Did you make the potion."

After a moment Draco nodded, "I did. But I didn't give it to Scarhead." Draco wasn't particularly upset about his actions if anything he was proud of how well it had gone. Potter had nearly died, Weasley was a squib in a holding cell, all he needed was to have hurt Granger somehow.

Severus drew his wand, "Be still, I am going to remove that memory from you. The Aurors are aware that the potion was made by a talented student. You are one of the best in your year, you hate Potter, so I have very little doubt that you will be questioned." He brought his wand up to the boys temple, "It will be just like we've practiced before. You will feel fuzzy-headed for a moment, but you will be unharmed."

Draco nodded and Severus began his work. The memory of making the potion was easy enough to draw out, but he felt something strange. Draco had been obliviated recently. Frowning Severus looked into the memory before and after the missing section. _Moody speaking to him bookends the missing memory...curious.._ Severus pulled out of Draco's mind. "What did you and Professor Moody talk about?" He asked his godson.

"It wasn't anything important." Draco said swiftly, "I never pay attention to that blood traitor."

Severus frowned in thought, "I see. I will be speaking with you later. For now, go to your dorm and stay away from Potter. Someone is trying to kill him and I don't want my godson to get caught up in it." 

Draco nodded and rose to leave the room.

Once he was alone, Severus tried to collect his thoughts. Someone had obliviated Draco, all the signs pointed to Alastor Moody. But it didn't fit Moody. The grizzled former Auror wasn't the sort to remove memories. He knew the Headmaster was useless for his questions. Albus stayed focused on Potter and his supposed destiny. Severus hated James Potter, and to be honest he hated Harry for surviving instead of Lily. But that hatred had so far not manifested itself into a desire to kill him. Hurt, embarrass, or otherwise impede him? Of course, but not directly kill him.

He went to his floo to summon Narcissa, she needed to know that the deed was done, as well as that someone had tampered with her son's memories.

He was not relishing the task. Narcissa Malfoy had a powerful temper when riled. The Potions Professor hoped that he would not be her target.

Scene Break

Harry was practicing his swimming thanks to a tip from Cedric about the Prefect's Bathroom. Dobby had returned with order forms from apothecaries all across Britain. Surprising everyone had been Neville. He'd taken charge of the forms and placed them into two piles.

" _These are the shit stores. Expensive, badly sourced ingredients, but they'll do in a pinch." Neville said indicating one pile, "these," he pointed to the other pile, "this is the good stuff. Especially 'Murk and Mire'." He handed Harry an order form. "My Gran knows the owners, their daughter is Tonks' age. She can probably vouch for them too."_

" _That'll do then. You're the best in our year with Herbology, if you say they are good, then that's who we need." Harry replied taking the form and marking an x beside the line 'gillyweed: breathe like a selkie!' "Fifty galleons for a half-pound? That's expensive stuff." He remarked._

 _Neville nodded, "Yeah, but that amount will take care of you for at least a full day. At least in salt water. Fresh water is tricky, we'll have to get some from Hogsmeade while we wait and test it out. We need to figure out how much you'll need for two hours worth." He drew out a scrap of parchment and began to make notes._

 _Neville was in his element, everyone could tell. He was treating this Task as an experiment and Harry noticed that a few of his table-mates were enjoying the change in the normally quiet boy._

That brought Harry back to this moment. The tub was big enough that he could stretch out and the water was clear enough that he could open his eyes and test his vision underwater. He wouldn't have his glasses unless he put a sticking charm on them, but if he did that distortion from the water would affect his vision. It had been Hermione who had the idea to solve that problem.

" _Goggles," Hermione said after a moment. "Like safety glasses for a chemistry set! We could put a sticking charm and a waterproofing charm on them, then you could wear your normal glasses under them!"_

" _I do hope," Evangeline said to Fleur, "That you are taking notes on this. Hermione has given you a way to see underwater."_

 _Fleur shook her head, "I am going to use a bubblehead charm. I've been practicing it during my free periods when Harry is in class." She looked at her cousin, "Hermione is brilliant, of course, but it wouldn't do if we all had the same ideas. There would be no challenge."_

" _I'm still concerned about the 'thing you'll sorely miss' part." Harry said, "I own a grand total of a dozen things. What could they take?"_

" _Any of them." Evangeline said shaking her head, "Put a tracking charm on the things you own. Then you can go straight to them."_

 _Fleur laughed, "Evangeline knows all about tracking charms. She stole so many of my clothes when we were younger that I had to start putting them on my bras." She teased her cousin, earning a laugh from the girls and reddened cheeks from the boys._

" _Don't worry Neville," Evangeline said ruffling his hair, "After the Yule Ball, I'll let you see if I'm wearing Fleur's bra." She winked, "Maybe I'll show Luna too."_

Harry laughed at that memory, accidentally sucking in some bathwater as he did and coughing it back out. Evangeline was staking her claim on the heir of the Longbottom family and judging by the look on Neville's face; he enjoyed being claimed.

It helped that Evangeline was beautiful. She didn't have Fleur's Veela magic helping her, it was natural magic. Harry wondered if he would have asked her to the Ball if he and Fleur hadn't been already going? Possibly, though he was pretty sure that she would have sought him out if she'd wanted him.

The hot water was cool when Harry got out. Drying himself, he dressed and opened the door. Standing there was Fleur, "I had hoped you would still be here." She said pushing him gently back into the room. "Would you like to keep me company while I practice my bubblehead charm?"

"I-" Every word in Harry's vocabulary vanished as Fleur slid off her robes revealing the tight blue bathing suit she was wearing underneath it. She giggled at his reaction and bent over to turn the faucet.

"You were in here for so long, I was worried you'd turned into a goldfish." She said to him from over her shoulder, "Will you join me?"

"I- I just got out." He said weakly.

She beamed in faux-innocence, "Then you can get wet with me again." She flicked her wand at him and his clothes shot off revealing his shorts. "Much better, you are very handsome you know." She said walking over to him, placing a cool, slim hand on his chest.

Harry smiled, "Thank you."

"A lady complimented you, it's only fair that you do the same." Fleur teased him, "You could tell me how I am ethereally beautiful, how I am light and beauty coalesced into one woman." She pressed into his embrace, "How words fail and songs turn to shrill nonsense when you try to describe me."

"I could," Harry said after a moment, "But something tells me you've heard that before."

"I have." She nodded, "From silly little boys who needed their egos popped." She said with a grin and kissed his temple softly, "You are the one I've chosen, so you don't need such overly poetic nonsense."

His answer, rather than to use words to call her beautiful, was to kiss her.

They never did practice that bubblehead charm, but the hot and soapy water did see their bodies.


	23. Chapter 23

**Your Love Is All The Magic I Need**

 **A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Three. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Three: The worst outcome for some**

"Severus, I want to make absolutely sure I've heard you correctly. My son is missing an indeterminate amount of time and the best suspect you have is Alastor Moody?" Narcissa sounded perfectly calm, however Snape could feel a thrum in the air as he spoke through his floo. When he nodded her lips set in a grimace of determination. "I see. I will be speaking with Madam Bones, expect us soon."

That led her to her next action. She stood from her fireplace and stepped into the study where she found Bellatrix reading and making notes in a book on wards. "I have business in London, I will be back before dinner." Narcissa said to her sister, "Do you require anything?"

"Yes. A trip back to Azkaban. At least there I knew my prison was inescapable." Her sister said quietly. Bellatrix looked up from her book. "I hate it here. I like seeing Jim, I like being with you, but I hate it here."

Narcissa sat down beside her sister, "What can I do to help?" She asked her.

"Could you speak to Madam Bones for me? She knows I don't want to hurt muggles anymore. Even if I could just go out for a day, or even just an afternoon." Bellatrix said, sounding more like a child asking for a certain present than a grown woman trying to get out of house arrest.

She stood up and stepped back from the table, "Jim kissed me last night." She said quietly, a smile that Narcissa was nearly sure her sister didn't know she had crossing her lips, "We were sitting in the parlor, talking about- Merlin, nothing really, but he leaned over and kissed me." She touched her cheek, her eyes a million miles, or more likely twenty-four hours away. "A muggle. I would have killed him happily but now-"

"Now you know that you care about him, regardless of magic." Narcissa finished for her sister. Bellatrix nodded sadly and walked over to the window, looking out towards the path that Jim had worn from his home to the Manor.

"A muggle. Mother and Father would have a heart attack." She laughed bitterly, "Aunt Walburga would strike me from the Family Tapestry." Bellatrix rested her head against the glass enjoying the cool of the glass versus the heat of her headache. "I've become a blood-traitor and I do not believe I could care any less."

"At least you said it the correct way, almost everyone says 'couldn't care less', it's bad grammar." Sirius said from the doorway. Seeing the glare from his cousins, he held his hands up. "Peace cousins, I may have a solution to your problem. Consider it an apology." He drew his wand and motioned it at Bellatrix. She felt a tingle run down her spine. Sirius smirked, "They haven't changed the spell. I can't do anything about the cuffs, but you can at least go and visit your man."

Narcissa looked at Bellatrix, "If you wish, I will take you there before I leave for London." Bellatrix nodded and Narcissa led her out of the study.

"Thank you," Bellatrix said as she passed Sirius. He smiled at her and watched the two leave.

Sirius looked out the window, watching the two. Bellatrix was doing her best to appear calm and measured as she walked, but she had a spring in her step that he hadn't seen since before she'd went into Azkaban. She looked like she did when she and Remus were together. He needed to find out why they had broken it off. Remus had been evasive, he would deal with it later. For now, Sirius was planning a trip to Hogsmeade to see Harry.

Scene Break

Narcissa stood in front of the door to the DMLE Directors office. Amelia knew she was here and Narcissa was waiting to be allowed in. The door opened and Amelia's secretary allowed her inside. Amelia sat at the desk, two auto-writing quills going like mad behind her. "You told my secretary that this involved the situation at Hogwarts?" She said looking up from where she was writing her own memo.

"Possibly. However, I believe it has more to do with possible misconduct by a Professor." Narcissa explained, "Severus Snape is my son's godfather. He wanted to find out for me if Draco had anything to do with the potion that affected Harry Potter."

"And?"

"He found a...discrepancy between Draco's memories. Someone had removed a period of time and the only person in common with the memory before and the memory after is Alastor Moody." Narcissa finished. She looked at the director, "I believe that Alastor Moody may have done something to my son. If he obliviated Draco, then perhaps he also used the imperius curse to tell him to make a potion?"

"Are you saying that your son made the potion?" Amelia asked, finally seeming to be fully in the conversation.

Narcissa nodded, "I believe so. But there is, as I said, a period of his memory missing. If my son made the potion under Moody's auspices, it would not be his fault, not completely."

"How do I know you aren't trying to save your son's skin? Keep him from sharing a cell with his father?" Amelia questioned her, "In any event, if what you are saying is true, then that doesn't sound anything like the man I worked with for nearly thirty years."

"Why else would my son be missing memories?" Narcissa replied, answering her question with a question.

Amelia shook her head, "Furthermore, how does Professor Snape know anything about your son's mental state?"

"Severus is a legilimens." Narcissa admitted, "He looked into Draco's mind on my behalf."

"I see. You are his mother, so this would not be considered an illegal mind reading." She looked at her schedule, "I can give you an hour today. I will call for Aurors Dawlish and Shacklebolt, they will accompany us. I must warn you, should we question Alastor and find that he was not responsible, I won't have forgotten than your son was involved in the attempted murder of Harry Potter."

Narcissa nodded. She watched as Amelia pressed a wardstone on her desk and spoke into it, "Aurors Shacklebolt and Dawlish, please come to my office immediately. Level three priority." She looked at Narcissa and then back to her paperwork, "I will expect something appropriately exciting for all this fuss."

Scene Break

It was Harry's most blessedly boring day in Defense. Moody had assigned them some reading about dark curses and their counters and sat at his desk watching them, his false-eye spinning as they worked, stopping every now and then on a student before zipping back to his own work. Hermione was on one side of him and Neville on the other. It was close as Harry got to a peaceful class.

So, of course, that couldn't last.

Amelia Bones, along with her contingent of Aurors and Narcissa stepped into the room. "Alastor, may I have a word with you?" Amelia asked as they walked closer. She noticed the grizzled former Auror watching her warily, his false eye darting between her, her men, and stopping on Narcissa.

"I'm in the middle of a class Bones, whatever it is will hold." He said then closed his book, "Thanks to this interruption, you lot will give me an extra foot on organ damaging curses." He smirked as he heard the chorus of annoyed groans.

"'The weather in Stourbridge is nice today'." Amelia said to the man, "'Think it'll rain?'"

"How would I know about that?" Moody replied. Amelia pursed her lip and then nodded, the two Aurors sent twin stunning spells into the man, dropping him. "Alastor Moody gave every person he was in regular contact with a code phrase. If he didn't say it, we were to use ours. If he didn't answer, we were to stun him immediately." She looked over to her men, "Shacklebolt, go to the Headmaster and inform him that I am arresting Alastor Moody under suspicion of illegal obliviation."

"Yes, ma'am." The bald man said before leaving the room.

Amelia walked over to the desk and looked at the book. She growled at what she saw there. Moody had been writing what the different students had been wearing under their robes, using his false eye to see through the garments. _This can't really be Alastor Moody. He would never do anything like this._ She thought as she stared down at the unconscious man.

Narcissa walked over to Harry, "Given that this class is over, I need to speak with you in private." She told him, "Please." Narcissa added, her hand resting on his.

"Mother, what are you doing?" Draco demanded, "If my father-"

"Draco. Your father is in Azkaban, where he will remain. I do not care what he would say or think or do. We will discuss our status later, for now, I need to speak to the Head of my family." Narcissa said to her son. Harry rose and allowed Narcissa to lead him out and to an empty classroom across the hall. "Dumbledore will no doubt be here soon, Amelia will deal with him. I need to speak to you, to beg you for a favor."

"What sort of favor?" Harry asked uncertainly.

Narcissa looked down at the floor, "I have reason to believe that Draco was responsible for the potion. If I am right, he will be sent to Azkaban and he will end up in a cell beside my former husband."

"That's where he belongs then!" Harry said, "I sincerely hope you aren't asking me for mercy. After everything that he's done to me and to my friends he doesn't deserve it."

"Please!" Narcissa cried, dropping to her knees, "I beg you! If my son goes to Azkaban he will become exactly the sort of wizard his father desires. When he is released, he would be a criminal, no one will hire him and he will go even deeper into the Dark Arts to survive!" She began to sob, "Call for a debtors bond instead!"

"A what?" Harry was confused now, confusion making its case to be the primary emotion, though rage was still making a strong argument.

"A debtors bond, he will be forced to serve your interests." Narcissa explained to him. It wasn't an ideal solution for Draco, but as a debt-servant he would be free from Azkaban, and perhaps some time spent with Harry would be good for her son. She hoped so anyway. "If you do this, I will be yours- in..in all ways." She said still looking at the ground.

Harry looked at the woman on her knees swearing to be his if he would save her son. "How would I do this, if I were to make him a debt-servant?" He asked her, "I'm not saying I will, but if I did it, how would I do this?"

Narcissa looked up, gratitude at being heard shining in her eyes, "It is a simple enough matter, he would request it and then the two of you would touch wands. Magic would bind the two of you for a period of your choosing. He would be unable to act against you in anyway, any act would be considered breaking the bond and he would be punished with the loss of his magic." She explained to him, "Your allies would be free from his insults as well, you could forbid him from saying anything rude to them."

She needed to sell this, she could see it in his eyes. She reached for him, her hand grasping the fabric of his trousers. "Do this for me, and I am yours. I have been told that I have held onto my beauty, I will give my body and soul to you if you will just keep him safe."

Harry surprised her by taking her hand from his leg and helping her up. "I am not in the market for a sex slave." He told her quietly, "If you want this, it's not me that you need to convince."

"Who then?"

"Hermione, for a start." He told her, "Draco did nothing from day one except insult her and treat her like garbage." Harry sighed, "If she is willing to forgive him, then I am willing to discuss it."

"I- thank you, Harry." Narcissa said, "I will speak with her." The two of them left the classroom only for Harry to be bowled over by Tonks.

"Blimey, you just appear out of nowhere don't you?" Tonks said to him as she helped him up, "I was speaking to McGonagall when I saw Shack. I can't believe Mad-Eye would do something like this."

"That's because it isn't Mad-Eye Moody." Amelia said from behind them, "It appears that we have found out missing Crouch Jr." She showed the group a small flash with a stylized demons head serving as the stopper. "Polyjuice potion." She explained, "We will interrogate Crouch and then I will find out if he was the one who did take the memories from your son." She told Narcissa, before turning to Tonks, "Auror Tonks, may I ask how you have managed to miss your mentor being replaced?"

"I haven't been around the Defense classroom." Tonks explained, "The issue around the First Task kept me out of the castle." Tonks looked down, her hair turning mousy brown, "I'm sorry ma'am."

"I expect better out of my head of security, Auror Tonks. You are a damned good Auror, act like it." Amelia turned and walked away, leaving the trio in the corridor. They watched as Amelia pushed passed Dumbledore and was followed by the Aurors with the bound and gagged Crouch Jr.

Harry gasped, "I've seen him before. I- it was a dream, I saw him kneeling beside a chair talking to Voldemort." He told them, "There was a man, a caretaker, he was murdered by Voldemort." He told them the rest, about seeing Wormtail and the giant snake.

Tonks frowned, "I'm going to check out some Muggle papers about 'suspicious disappearances'. If I can find something, especially with the man's face, I'm going to bring it to you." She said as they began to walk towards her quarters, "I have something for you, well you and your friends too. Bring them to see me and I'll show you how it works alright?"

He nodded and then he and Narcissa left her at her door and continued back towards the Defense classroom where Dumbledore was in the process of dismissing the other students. Hermione came up to him, "You missed it, Harry! It was-"

"Polyjuice." Harry said, "Tonks' boss told us."

"Miss Granger, I need to have a word with you, please." Narcissa said, "Could we speak somewhere in private?" Hermione nodded and Narcissa turned back to Harry, "We will meet you at Nymphadora's quarters." She told him before leaving with the younger witch.

Harry walked over to Neville who was still packing his things. His face was red as were the boys eyes, "That was one of the people who tortured my parents. I've been in a classroom with him this entire year." Neville closed his eyes and then pushed his desk away sending it crashing to the floor. "He was right here the whole time!"

Harry put his hand on Neville's shoulder, "You didn't know. You couldn't have known. He's not going to get a chance to hurt anyone else again." Harry tried to comfort Neville, but it was clear that he had no interest in being comforted.

"What, is the Ministry going to throw him into Azkaban for another week before he gets out and disguises himself as a milkman?" Neville said pushing Harry's hand off his shoulder, "That miserable bastard should be beaten to death and thrown to the Giant Squid!"

Harry felt, rather than heard, the door open behind him. He turned to see Fleur and Evangeline in the doorway, "I- I felt something strange like you were very angry." Fleur said, "We had finished our lesson and I wanted to have lunch with you."

Evangeline, on the other hand, went straight to Neville. She wrapped her arms around him, "We heard that from outside," she told him in a near-whisper against his ear, "You listen to me Neville, you could not have done anything. You are a fourth-year student and he is an adult with no compunctions against killing. I just met you and I refuse to go to the Yule Ball with just Luna because my male date tried to give a monster what he deserved."

Neville sighed heavily against her, "I see my parents every Christmas, the closest thing I have to a sign that they know who I am is that my mother gives me a gum wrapper." He felt her arms go around him tighter, "They'll never get to hold their grandchildren, never get to see me walk down the aisle.." He felt the tears sting his eyes, "I just want to make him hurt like I'm hurting."

She pressed a kiss to his temple, "He will. He will die a soulless husk. I've heard from my father how British wizards deal with people like him, he'll be Kissed by an hour after his interrogation." She squeezed him again and then looked up, "Fleur and Harry have left, do you want to go somewhere and we can talk about your parents?" He nodded against her and she smiled and broke awake, taking his hand she led him back to the room they'd used to practice dancing.

Harry and Fleur arrived at Tonks' room before anyone else. Tonks was setting out a row of small black canisters when they walked inside. "When everyone else is here we can start taking these bad boys out. This is bear repellent. Muggles use this to make three-hundred-sixty kilogram bears turn tail, so it's going to be good enough to keep bastards here at bay." She exclaimed, "Word of advice, don't spray it until you know which way it's pointing."

"Learn that the hard way?" Harry asked with a grin.

Tonks rolled her eyes, "Of course not. The guy beside me learned it the hard way." She told him, "I'm glad you are here though, I've been wanting to do something since I left Barnaby's shop." She pulled him into a hug and then kissed him, "Hurry up and get older." She said when the kiss broke, "I want some time with you."

One by the one, the others arrived. Luna came in with Hermione and Narcissa. Hermione looked at Harry and nodded before turning to face Tonks. Neville and Evangeline were the last to arrive and it was clear that they had grown closer judging by the way they held each others hands.

"Alright, everyone is here," Tonks said as she began to hand out the canisters. She went over the basic safety and usage of the spray before ending with the best advice she could think of, "For Merlin's sake, only point this at someone who deserves to vomit while their eyes try to melt out of their sockets. I've gotten hit by the splashback from mace, this stuff is stronger than that."

Scene Break

Dumbledore paced in his office. Crouch being unmasked was a surprise. He'd known since Severus had come to him about the missing ingredients that he wasn't Alastor Moody, but that he'd been caught so quickly afterward, and for something completely different at that!

Things were swiftly becoming untenable. He needed a new scapegoat to replace Crouch. Someone whom he could use to bring Harry closer to him once more. The idea came to him, sitting at his desk he began to draft a letter to Sirius Black. _Black as a professor would be perfect! Harry is bound to trust me more if I give his beloved godfather a job, showing that I believe in his ability to be a good professor would mean that Sirius would also keep his trust in me as well!_ The old man laughed softly as he finished the invitation and then rolled it up. He placed it inside the fireproof pouch he used when Fawkes needed to take a message for him. The spells keeping the phoenix bound to his will were taxing, but necessary. _Everything I do is necessary to prevent Voldemort. If I lose my soul to this then so be it, I will be the devil that keeps the worse one at bay!_


	24. Chapter 24

**Your Love Is All The Magic I Need**

 **A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Four. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Four: The cage door shuts**

Amelia fumed in her office. Albus Dumbledore claimed to have not had any reason to distrust the false Moody. _"The man must have questioned Alastor about my pass-phrase in case I suspected him." That's what Professor Dumbledore said, but I don't know if I believe that. It sounds too easy like he made it up on the spot._ But she had no proof. She had suspicions but suspicions didn't do much against the fame of someone like Dumbledore. She needed proof.

That was why she sent a letter to Sirius requesting a visit to her office. She'd spied a letter on the Headmasters desk and putting two and two together she had managed to figure it out. He was going to ask Sirius to act as Defense Professor. Amelia didn't like what she was going to do, but it could help.

He was brought to her office by her secretary. Sirius was beginning to regain the weight he'd lost. Thanks to steady meals and the lack of soul-devouring dementors, he was beginning to look like the man she'd loved once again. It was enough to make her throat tighten as she remembered the day he'd asked her to marry him. It had been shortly after the birth of his godson.

"So Amelia, what brings me here?" Sirius asked after a moments silence, "I haven't committed any crimes. Well, one minor crime but that merely involved a pat of butter and a liberated copy of the muggle Sun newspaper." He laughed, "Seriously though, it must be important if you called me here when there's a fresh Death Eater in your cells."

"You know about Crouch Jr?" Amelia asked, "Of course you do," She corrected herself, "Your cousin was with me when I arrested him." She looked at him and gathered her nerve, "I need a favor."

"Does it involve helping you interrogate your ex-boyfriend Barty?" Sirius asked with a grin.

She shook her head, "I need you to accept a job offer from Hogwarts." She stood up, "After the arrest of Crouch, I spoke with the Headmaster. He claimed that the fake Moody was able to give him the answer to a code phrase Moody used in order to prevent these sorts of things."

"You don't believe him," Sirius said with a raised eyebrow.

"I do not." Amelia said, "Something about the events at Hogwarts, they seem too- convenient, I suppose." She looked away from him and then down to her desk, "On his desk was a letter he was writing addressed to you. There's no doubt in my mind that he's going to offer you the Defense position, I need you to take that job and report to me if you see anything out of the ordinary." She drew a small box out of her desk and placed it in front of him.

Sirius looked at it quizzically, "Ami, I'm flattered but that's not really a first date question." He teased before catching himself when he saw the look on his former girlfriends face. Opening the box he saw a tarnished badge.

"I had to ask a Junior Auror to stay late last night to sort through all of the files in storage, but he found it." Amelia said, "It's your badge. I want you back as an Auror."

Sirius looked at the badge and then back to Amelia, "I'll do it. But I have two conditions." He took the badge out of the box, "First and most important: I want free reign on anything I have to do in the course of this investigation."

"No unforgiveables." Amelia said, "Otherwise I can agree with your term."

"Grand." He replied, "Second, I want immunity for a level five infraction of penal code seventeen." He noted the raised eyebrow and continued, "I have zero shame for what I did to require this immunity. I made a mistake and this was the way I could fix it."

"You canceled the spell keeping Lestrange at Potter Manor didn't you?" Amelia asked, though her tone made it clear it wasn't really a question. She sighed and closed her eyes, a dull pain had made its home just behind her eyelids. Magic was wonderful, but no magic could cure a three-day migraine.

"I did. She wanted to see her boyfriend. Her muggle boyfriend no less." Sirius said, "I made a mistake and got in between them once. So I fixed it. At any rate, you need to update the wards you use. It was the same one you used when we were both Aurors."

"She's in a relationship with a muggle?" Amelia couldn't believe that and every ounce of doubt she possessed was in that seven-word sentence.

He nodded, "She still has her magic blocked, I didn't take that off. But I made it so she could see him. That was the first place she went and judging by the look on her face when she came back a few hours later, I'd say she enjoyed her time."

"Of course she did." Amelia said dryly, then sighed rubbing her temples, "Fine. Immunity for that infraction, if you can promise me that Lestrange won't attempt to remove her shackles."

"I can't promise that if I'm at Hogwarts. I can't watch her when I'm not there." Sirius replied, "Just strengthen the wards on the cuffs if you don't trust her. I need to get home and reply to the letter that I have no doubt is waiting for me." He turned to go back to the door.

"Sirius, wait." Amelia called to him before he touched the knob. He turned to look at her. She held his gaze for a moment and then looked away, in that instant she'd lost her nerve. He walked out of the room, leaving Amelia to her thoughts.

She hated her thoughts.

When she was alone all she could ever think of was the fact that she'd done nothing to stop his arrest. Nothing about his lack of a trial until the issue was pressed by Narcissa. She didn't deserve his forgiveness, she didn't deserve his affection.

It didn't stop her from wanting it. It didn't stop her from wanting anything more than to hurl herself into his arms. But she couldn't. Self-pity and pride performed a tag-team move that prevented her from doing the thing she wanted.

Scene Break

Draco didn't know why his mother had called him and his nemesis to an unused classroom. Narcissa took a moment to gather her thoughts, "Draco, I know that Severus modified your memory. You brewed a potion that nearly resulted in the death of the titular Head of the Black family. You may not remember it anymore, but it is still under active investigation."

Draco looked at his mother, "What do you want from me then? I don't remember it and I wasn't sorry when I did it. I'm not going to apologize, I'll take the detention instead."

"Detention? Draco, you would be lucky if you escaped prison." Narcissa said to her son, "To that end, I've asked Harry to offer you a chance to stay out of prison. You will undergo a debt-binding for the period of your school years."

"What?!" Draco's face was bright red in shock and anger, "I would never-"

"You will, or I cannot save you from your fate." Narcissa cut him off sharply, "You could have your magic bound and find yourself thrown into the muggle world, would you prefer that?" She was not a terribly tall woman, standing only a little taller than her son. But her presence towered over him as she continued, "You come from a family that has very recently been the victim of your father's stupidity, do you really think the Malfoy name would protect you if Harry Potter were to press for the harshest allowable sentence?"

Draco, Harry learned, for all his bluster in school was actually fairly easily cowed by his mother. It took far less time than he'd expected before Draco was sullenly asking about the terms and the process for the spell. Then it was his turn. The two teenage wizards touched their wands together and Harry took Draco as a debt-servant for a period until a day after their seventh year. Draco would be unable to act against Harry or anyone Harry considered a friend unless it was to directly save Harry's life.

"I'd rather lose my magic than call you 'master'." Draco spat, "So don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon."

"I don't want you to call me that. I'm just doing this for Narcissa, she loves you enough that it would hurt her if I let you rot where you belong." Harry retorted. "Now, I want you to leave us alone. That means no harassing me, no harassing any of my friends. You just go to your classes and never talk to us, understand?"

"Fine by me!" Draco pushed past them and stormed out of the room.

Harry rubbed his temples. "You realize that Tonks is going to kill me for this right?" He said to Narcissa as she watched the door where her son had left so abruptly. "I didn't want to do this. I did it for you, so you have to run interference for me."

"I will," Narcissa promised him. "I know that you hate him. But you have to understand; Draco is my only child. I would stand against anyone to keep him safe." She didn't say it but the unspoken message was clear, _I would sacrifice anything for him, as Lily Potter did for you..._ Narcissa walked away from the room, giving Harry time to process what he had just done.

He was right, that Tonks would be angry with him. But she would be even more angry with Narcissa. She would see it, rightly, that Narcissa was buying her sons way out of Azkaban. Narcissa sighed as she knocked on the door that served as Tonks' unofficial office.

Tonks opened the door, "Aunt Narcissa, what brings you in to see me?" She asked as she allowed the older woman to step into the room. "Judging by the grim look, I'd say I'm going to have black hair by the time you're done talking." She sat down and motioned for Narcissa to do the same.

"Draco was the culprit behind the potion that affected Harry," Narcissa said quietly. She looked forward at Tonks, not willing to appear like a naughty schoolgirl confessing to her teacher, "I spoke with Harry and convinced him that rather than going through Ministry channels, and possibly having my son spending the next decade beside his father, that he would take Draco as a debt-servant. He agreed after some debate and now Draco is bound by magic and the old laws to serve Harry."

"You did- you did what? You made your son Harry's slave? How is that better than prison?" Tonks sputtered as her hair went from purple to yellow to blue.

"I trust Harry. I do not trust Lucius. Lucius would use that time to draw Draco fully into his beliefs. Then when Draco got out he would be a true monster. Harry won't allow him to become that monster, and hopefully, he will be a good influence on my son." Narcissa said, "I am not asking for you to not be angry. I am however asking you to be angry at me and not at Harry."

"Trust me, I have plenty of anger for both of you," Tonks replied, her hair starting to turn a bright crimson. "I can't believe-"

"Andromeda would have done the same for you and you know that." Narcissa cut her off, "Hate me as you will but do not presume that I acted in a vacuum. A mother will always do whatever they can for their children." She looked away towards the window, "I was desperate enough to do this that I offered Harry my body." She smiled at that memory, "He refused payment. He's a good man."

"He's an idiot." Tonks growled, "He let you talk him-"

"It wasn't me. It was Hermione Granger. I had to get her approval before he would do anything. She thought the same as I do, that if Draco went to Azkaban it would be the same as giving him over body and soul to Voldemort when he inevitably returns." Narcissa rose from her seat, "Harry has faced the Dark Lord enough times that she understood how dangerous that would be. Draco is the Heir to the Malfoy family, and through him, Voldemort would have the wealth of the Malfoy vault."

Tonks groaned, "Fine. I'll make a report that the matter was settled." She grumbled and drew out some parchment, "I reserve the right to be angry about this."

Narcissa nodded, "Just blame me and not Harry. That is all I ask of you." With that the blonde witch left the room. Tonks rubbed her temples in a method that mirrored Harry's actions earlier. This was not what she'd expected to happen today. It was the first day back at the school after Barty Crouch Jr had been unmasked on Friday. The real Moody was convalescing at St. Mungo's, being half-starved and kept in a frigid hole in a trunk had left him with pneumonia in both lungs. While the damage was healed quickly enough, it was the mental aspect that troubled her. Already incredibly paranoid, Moody was even jumpier now, to the point where her mother had felt it necessary to bind him to the bed.

There was a knock on her door and Tonks sighed, "Come on in." Tonks called out. When she saw Harry standing there she tried to keep her annoyance out of her voice, "I already know about what you did today. May I ask why you didn't talk to me or Fleur about it?"

"I didn't have time. Everything happened so quickly. I'm sorry Tonks, I should have talked with you especially." Harry said to her. He sounded contrite enough, Tonks decided to take some pity on him.

She stood up and went to him, "I want to help you, whenever I can and however I can. But you have to let me help you. Just say 'I need to think about it' and then come find us." She closed her eyes and sighed, "I just want this year to go by smoothly. For all of us. Not just because it would make me look good, but because a smooth year is something I don't think you've had yet have you?"

"It would be nice, but I'm already trapped in a contest that will probably result in me being grievously injured at some point, the second-best Defense teacher I've had turned out to be a Death Eater in disguise, one of my best friends had her mind tampered with, possibly by the Headmaster-" He looked at her and smiled sadly, "I think smooth was out of the running already."

She laughed softly at that, "It wouldn't hurt for us to try and make it better."

Scene Break

Sirius found the letter waiting on him, just as he had suspected. His meeting with Dumbledore and McGonagall would be tomorrow afternoon. He was to come to Hogwarts and meet with them at the Headmasters office. That was the easy part of his day, the hard part would be keeping his real intentions hidden.

His real goal was to keep an eye out for Harry and to prevent any possible manipulations on the part of the Headmaster. Sirius had suspicions ever since Harry was chosen by the Goblet. Now, knowing that somehow Dumbledore had missed that someone he'd worked with for years being replaced, Sirius considered Dumbledore just as dangerous to his godson's health as Voldemort.

He watched as the owl Narcissa had brought from Malfoy Manor flew off with his response confirming that he would be at Hogwarts at the appointed time. Hearing the door creak he turned, Bellatrix was there. "Have a good time?" He asked her.

She nodded, a small flush of red on her cheeks, "He took me on a ride to the village." She told him, "After that, we walked his dog Hank by the millpond by his house." She leaned against the frame, "Thank you."

"What happened between you and Mooney?" Sirius asked quietly, "I don't want to start a fight, I just want to know why you two seemed so good together?" He watched her tense and shook his head, "Nevermind-"

"No," She stopped him with a hand raised, "What happened was I asked him to prevent my marriage the only way he could. He was to poison me, but he couldn't do it. So I was forced to marry Rodolphus and I was bound to his will." She stopped for a moment and looked down, "I found out I was pregnant a few weeks after I was married."

Sirius paled, "It wasn't your husbands was it?"

She shook her head, "It should have been. Not Rodolophus', never his. But it should have been my husbands. I wanted to marry Remus, but when that was impossible I wanted to be faithful to him. Rodolphus found out and was...displeased." She felt the tears sting her eyes but continued, "He used the cruciatus curse on me, held it long enough that I miscarried."

"And seeing him again did not help, I'm sorry I asked him to check on your man," Sirius said gently. He walked to her and embraced his cousin. After a moment he felt her shoulders begin to heave as she cried quietly.

Bellatrix mourned for her child, mourned for her missing years, she mourned for the woman she had been. She had Jim now, and that fact helped some of the stings leave her. She pushed back from Sirius, "Jim is a good man. He understood what you were doing, even if he didn't like it." He was a good man, and she knew that. She cared about Jim Duncan, maybe even one day she could feel safe enough to try loving him. For now, knowing that he wasn't scared of her, wasn't disgusted by her scars; both mental and physical, that was enough.


	25. Chapter 25

**Your Love Is All The Magic I Need**

 **A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Five. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Five: Symptoms of the universe**

The weekend had arrived and Harry was glad for it. The Yule Ball was just around the corner and he had been practicing nearly every night with Fleur. If they weren't dancing, they were working on strategies for the Second Task. It wasn't all bad, of course, it was time spent with an incredibly beautiful witch who knew the best way to motivate him was to kiss him when he did well. Well, it was her, Harry rather doubted that it would work quite as well in his classes.

Fleur and Evangeline were spending the weekend with Apolline. Tonks was using the break to spirit Harry away from the castle. Currently, they were in her flat, Harry sat on her couch while Tonks was preparing the final stages of a very familiar smelling potion. "Why are you brewing polyjuice?" He asked, turning to face her.

"Not brewing, I'd already bought some ready-made from my friend Penny. I figured you needed a break without anyone bothering you. So I grabbed a couple of hairs from a bloke I thought was handsome and here we are." Tonks said as the potion sputtered and then handed it to him, "Down the hatch!"

Harry took the offered potion and swallowed it, wincing as he did so. He was glad that he was sitting as he felt his bones shifting. A few moments passed and where Harry sat there was now a brown-haired man roughly Tonks' age. "I will never get used to this." Harry said as he looked at his hands, "Isn't polyjuice super illegal?"

"You wouldn't tell on me would you?" She asked, batting her eyelashes playfully. "Technically it's illegal for civilians to own. Aurors can use it if they are on an investigation. So I bought some for our date." She grinned and sat down beside him, "If anyone asks, just say it's confidential." Tonks teased him and then kissed his cheek.

"We need to hurry, polyjuice only works for an hour," Harry said standing up. Tonks shook her head and rose behind him. "What is the plan for today anyway?"

"First, Mum wants to meet you. You never got your inoculations." Tonks said. She grinned at the look on his face, "Yes, your Auror girlfriend grabbed your file and checked it over. You need those shots, otherwise, you'd end up catching dragon pox and cacking it like your grandparents."

"I should go back to the Manor and catch up with them." Harry said, "It's still weird that my father is fifteen." He laughed then, "When Narcissa took me back last month he was very impressed that I'm dating you and Fleur."

Tonks laughed at that, "I'll bet he is. Cousin Sirius will probably build you a shrine." Tonks nudged him and then pulled him into a hug that signaled she was ready to apparate them, and so with a crack, they vanished.

Scene Break

Harry hated all forms of magical travel. As he rested against the brick wall in the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron he did his best to will all of his breakfast to stay in his stomach. Tonks watched him as she leaned against the same wall. "Maybe you need to keep some ginger candies in your pockets. Dad does that." She suggested to him.

"Does that help?" Harry asked weakly as he felt his mornings meal of bacon and potatoes working their way inexorably northwards. He swallowed hard, pushing his nausea back down. "I'll try anything if it might help."

Tonks nodded, "Alright. Once we go see Mum, I'll top you off on your potion and then we'll grab you some ginger from Penny's shop." She grabbed his hand and led him through to the other side of the alley once the portal opened.

Harry had never been to St. Mungo's before. As they walked through the alley, he wondered just how much magic was dedicated to keeping all of this hidden from the muggle world. He knew, thanks in part of Hermione's gushing, that if a muggle was above the alley and looked down all they would see is an empty and rundown series of buildings. The land was technically owned by the Crown, a fact that kept anyone from trying to develop this area. Given how close it was to Kings Cross Station, Harry was amused that there wasn't a low-quality but high-price souvenir shop near the Leaky Cauldron.

Tonks pulled him down an alleyway and into a nondescript building. "There isn't really a public entrance for St. Mungo's." She explained, "So, I'm taking you in the entrance that mum uses when she's coming back from her post-lunch walk." With that, she led him up a flight of stairs towards an empty hallway, "Just like at the Leaky, tap your wand on the sconce on the wall and walk through."

Harry walked up to the dusty sconce and tapped it as directed. The faded off-white wallpaper shimmered and rippled away as a dark wooden door appeared in front of them. Opening it, he stepped in to find himself in what looked like a break room. An old medi-witch looked up from her newspaper, "'ere now, what are you doing? You can't be 'ere!"

"Don't trouble yourself, Auror business," Tonks said as she flashed her bade and then pushed Harry through the door. Once they were in the hallway she groaned softly, "That's Matilda Dunkirk. She works on Mum's floor. The woman is a total bitch, so there's no way we didn't just get Mum yelled at for me using that entrance."

She shook her head, "No matter. Come on, we need to get you into her office before the potion wears off. After that we'll be in muggle London, so we can forgo using more potion. Unless you like the taste." She teased him as she opened the door marked 'A. Tonks- Floor Chief' and pushed him inside. "Wait here, I'll find Mum and be right back."

The door closed, practically in his face, as Tonks raced down the hallway.

Harry sat in the chair opposite the desk and waited. He winced as the potion began to wear back off. _Must have been a weak batch if I changed back so soon, it's barely been half an hour..._ He thought. The office looked similar to the one the nurse at his primary school had occupied. The shelf had a number of books and on the wall above the shelves, there were small glass-fronted boxes, each containing a positively medieval looking medical tool.

He was fascinated by the items on the wall and didn't notice the door open and a curly-haired woman steps inside with Tonks. She cleared her throat and Harry turned, "Hello Mr. Potter, my name is Andromeda Tonks, Nymphadora has asked me to look over your records. You are missing all of your childhood inoculations for our world and most of the ones you need for the muggle world." She waved her wand and her face set into a deeper frown, "It seems I will need more potions than these." She said indicating the small bag she carried under her arm. Setting it down she opened the bag and spoke into it, "Class nine potion selection." Harry heard a clinking as more bottles appeared inside the bag.

"That's my mother, straight to the point." Tonks said with a small grin, "Dunkirk tried to beat me to her, but thankfully some poor bugger came in with a bad reaction to doxy poison and passed out on her."

"Matilda is not a joy to be around, but that does not give you an allowance to take pleasure in someone else's suffering." Andromeda chided her daughter before turning her full attention to Harry, "Let's begin."

Harry thought signing all of those papers at Gringotts had been painful. That had been like a scalpel slicing into his hand. It stung and burned but the pain itself had been over quickly enough. These potions felt like his insides were twisting and churning inside him. The first bottle had felt like hot tar pouring into his throat. _Why does every type of medicine taste so horrible?_ He wondered as he swallowed to clear his throat.

The next one was no better. It had a strange gritty texture that felt like water with sand in it. Thankfully the taste was slightly better, a vague chalky fruit flavor that reminded Harry of the stick in a sherbet dib-dab. Setting down the bottle he continued with the next.

When they were finished Andromeda waved her wand and the bottles vanished. "Good, with those in your system you are up to date. However, I am going to send an owl to Poppy. She should have done this your first year." Andromeda looked sternly at her clipboard, "More worrying is the fact that I found multiple incidences of broken bones in your limbs. Except for your right arm."

"I had the bones vanished thanks to an idiot. Madam Pomfrey gave me skelegro." Harry explained uncomfortably.

That answer did not mollify Andromeda. "That explains one arm. Might I ask about the other three limbs? Or the hairline fracture on your skull?" She raised a thin eyebrow, "Your body shows signs of abuse and a lot of it."

Harry looked away, "My relatives-" Harry began.

He was cut off by Tonks, "What? What did they do to you?" She demanded, "I swear on Merlin's saggy left bollock they won't get a chance to do it again!"

Andromeda turned to her daughter, "That's enough. If you are going to deal with this, then do it as an Auror and not because a friend was abused." She looked back at Harry, "They beat you, didn't they?" She asked, her voice much kinder than it had been when she'd first entered the room.

"It wasn't that bad. Uncle Vernon just hit me with a belt a few times. Dudley and his gang used to beat me up after school but I got good at hiding." Harry said looking away, "They haven't done it since my first year at Hogwarts."

"They will end up in prison before the end of the week," Tonks promised. She grabbed his hand and pulled him close before apparating out of the office.

Andromeda stood there for a moment and then went to her desk. She made a few notes on a piece of paper and then tapped it with her wand. It folded into an airplane and flew off. _That will reach Narcissa. She is his Seneschal, she will handle this before my bullheaded daughter gets herself discharged._ Andromeda mused as she went to complete her rounds.

Scene Break

Tonks had dropped Harry off at the Manor. Their date is damned, she was going to the Ministry and rounding up whomever she could to arrest the Dursleys. Kissing him and promising to return to take him out for dinner, she vanished, leaving Harry to the tender mercies of Narcissa.

Narcissa would admit that she was feeling rather restless. Bellatrix had taken to spending entire days, and nights, with her muggle man. Sirius was at Hogwarts, a fact that made the house more peaceful, if duller. All she'd had to talk to were the Potter portraits.

Currently, she had Harry at her desk. He was watching as Narcissa stepped back from behind a silk screen, "My robes for the Wizengamot arrived from Master Sartor. Do you like them?" She asked as she held out her arms, spinning so he could get the full effect. "He did a masterful job if I do say so myself."

"It looks great." Harry managed. It did, the robes were obviously very different from the sort he'd gotten from Madam Malkin's shop. Narcissa smiled at him from over her shoulder and turned to face him.

"I still need to thank you for what you did for Draco. He's still furious of course, but I consider him being out of Azkaban worth his being angry with me." She walked over and kissed his cheek. "Please, anything I can do-"

"You've done this much for me," Harry said, placing a hand on hers. "You don't need to offer me anything."

She sighed, "You are far too noble for your own good. If you keep this up, you will end up with an unscrupulous woman deciding that your nobility is just gullibility in a different name." She stepped back from him. A strange guilty feeling speared into Narcissa, "You have the making of a great leader of our family." She told him, almost absently as she looked away. Her thoughts of seduction seemed a million miles away from her now.

Harry smiled at the compliment, "With you helping I'm sure I'll get there."

A sentiment Narcissa didn't know if she believed anymore. But she knew at that moment, that she would do everything in her power to make that a reality.


	26. Chapter 26

**Your Love Is All The Magic I Need**

 **A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Six. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells. This chapter isn't going to be long, let me warn you now. As some of you know I have a prosthesis and it acts up. This week it has hurt off and on causing me to visit my doctor. Long story short, I am hopped up on goofballs due to some minor (and not so minor) inflammation.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Six: Revenge, Black Family style**

Tonks stood at the hedge that led into Number Four. She wanted nothing more than to set fire to the house and burn it and everyone inside it to ashes. Then possibly piss on the ashes, or dance a merry jig, or dance the jig and then piss on the ashes, she wasn't sure yet. It was that moment of hesitation that allowed Narcissa to catch up with her. Narcissa appeared with a near-inaudible crack clutching a letter in her hand. "Your mother knew you'd come here." She said indicating the letter, "She hoped I would catch you in time to stop you."

"Stop me? After what they did?" Tonks practically shouted, her hair turning bright red. "They broke almost every bone in his body!"

"I know that." Narcissa said heatedly and then drew in a breath to calm herself, "But you are the daughter of Andromeda Black, the most impulsive of the three sisters. She knows that you would end up doing something rash that would find yourself in hiding or in Azkaban." Narcissa slowly drew her wand, "I, on the other hand, am the Seneschal for Harry Potter and it is my duty and my honor to destroy threats against him."

"There's a ward-line along the property." Tonks pointed out with her finger, "Odds are good that whoever put it up would know if one of us walked across that border."

"'Someone'," Narcissa rolled her eyes, "The only person who could have set it up is the Headmaster." She frowned, "If we come across the line he will undoubtedly show up." She thought a moment, chewing her lip slightly as she worked out what to do.

"Wait, if you're here then who's with Harry?" Tonks asked, the question finally working into her mind. "I thought you were supposed to keep an eye on him when I was on a job."

"He's with his father's portrait and Sirius. I sent word to him that Harry would be there and he floo'd over." Narcissa said waving her wandless hand dismissively, "Now, as for this. I have an idea: the boundary protects the house, why not wait until they leave?"

Scene Break

Harry thought that spending time with his dad's portrait and his godfather would be fun. He was not prepared for just how much time they would spend telling Harry their exploits. James might only be a copy of his fifteen-year-old self, but Sirius had plenty of stories to share of the years between then and James' death.

"-so that was the third time we set Snape's robes." Sirius finished his current story, "Well, at least the third time that year."

James laughed, leaning against his frame, "And now you're working with him? Merlin, that must be fun."

"Not just working with him, I have his dream job." Sirius all but crowed, "When he found out he looked like he was trying to push a walnut down his throat." He looked at Harry, "I think I've done pretty well so far, I've only tormented a few of the Slytherin students."

"You gave Millicent Bulstrode two points for 'having the bravery to be seen in public looking like that'." Harry said, "That was kind of mean. I mean I don't like her, but that was out of bounds." To his credit, Sirius did look somewhat ashamed. James didn't though. He had started laughing harder at that. "Seriously dad, that's like when people make fun of Hermione's teeth."

"These two have never been able to act in a mature fashion." Euphemia Potter said from her portrait, "Minerva would have thrown them both out if she'd had her way."

"Minnie isn't very enthused that I'm a Professor either." Sirius said, "Apparently teaching the firsties to dodge curses by using rags soaked with paint was 'unbecoming'."

"You are a child." Harry said rubbing his temples, "And this is coming from someone who is a teenager."

Having grown a headache, Harry left the room. He decided to take a walk on the grounds of Potter Manor. Harry was glad to be able to spend time with Sirius at Hogwarts, he honestly was, but his godfather's newfound freedom was going to his head.

Sirius looked out the window and watched Harry step out of the manor, "Okay, he's outside. This mission Amelia has me on is going to give me a heart attack. She wants me to make Dumbledore upset enough to make a mistake, so I'm 'acting out'." He said leaning against the wall, "I think I should tell him the truth."

"That'll go over a treat." James said to him, "'Oh hi Harry, did you know I'm acting like a prat because my girlfriend asked me to spy on your headmaster who's been manipulating you this whole time?'." He rolled his eyes, "Stay the course man."

Sirius walked over to the desk and pulled the small bottle of whiskey out of the drawer. Opening it, he took a pull directly from the bottle before wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "Amelia is not my girlfriend." He said glaring at James, "She stopped being my girlfriend when she was part of the team that arrested me."

"Sirius, you know as well as I do how miserable she was after that." Fleamont piped up, "Narcissa has told us about how many times she's bumped into her at the Ministry." That made Sirius take another pull of the whiskey. Truth be told, the fact that she had believed that he was capable of betraying the Potters had hurt him almost as much as James and Lily's deaths had.

He still had the occasional nightmare about that day. Seeing his infant godson laying in his crib, finding James on the ground floor by the doorway, Lily in the nursery. He'd been in a walking stupor after that, he barely remembered handing Hagrid the keys to his motorcycle before apparating to Wormtail's safe-house in Manchester.

Cornering that traitor hadn't been the right idea. But it had felt good, right up until he'd opened that pipe up, killing the muggles in the process. The sheer impact of how badly the confrontation had gone had caused him to lose himself. He hadn't felt the blast of the stunning spell that dropped him. In fact, if he tried to recall that day, all he saw was her shocked face.

Sirius and Amelia hadn't been a conventional couple. She was older than he was, she was on her way to becoming a Head Auror and he was- well, people liked Sirius as a person, but no one had ever claimed he was job-minded. Now she needed him, and like the fool he was, Sirius had answered the call.

Could Dumbledore really be doing this? It made sense to Sirius. After all, Dumbledore had set up the Fidelius charm that had hidden the Potters home in Godric's Hollow. He had known that Sirius wasn't the secret keeper and thus, couldn't tell anyone how to get to their home. Those years in Azkaban had been, at least partially, Dumbledore's fault.

He looked back out the window, Harry was now talking with Narcissa and Tonks who had just arrived. "The anti-fun brigade is back." He told James, "Cissy probably spent the afternoon looking at furniture to put in the Potter Wizengamot office."

He was very wrong.

Scene Break

When Vernon Dursley pulled into his driveway that afternoon he could be forgiven for not noticing the two women watching him from across the street. He wouldn't have noticed them because of the spell that in fact was called notice-me-not. He would feel a tingle when he walked down to pick up an errant can that someone, probably the useless twit who lived next door, had left at the edge of his property, but that could be explained as just a shiver from leaving the warmth of his car. However the urge to confess everything he'd done, both to his nephew and as director of Grunnings that was illegal, he would not be able to explain so easily.

That urge to confess filled his mind until he couldn't shake it. So, ignoring Petunia's call to come and read the note Marge had written them from her trip to Berlin, he made his way into his office. Once inside he sat at his desk and began to write.

The words came out as pen hit paper. The nearly endless beatings, locking his nephew in a cupboard, shady dealings at his company, nearly fifteen years of illegal activities. When it was finished he stuffed the letter into an envelope. He wrote his address and then the address of the Little Whinging Constabulary. He walked the letter back to the door and dropped it in letterbox by the door before going to the living room and sitting down beside Petunia.

"What was that Vernon?" Petunia asked her husband as he sank onto the couch beside his wife.

 _ **Tell no one anything about the letter. Once it is in the box forget that it exists.**_ A strange voice in his mind commanded him. He shrugged, "Oh, it was nothing Pet." He said as the comforting glow of the television drew him away from the lingering feeling that it had been something important.

Outside of Number Four, the two women waited a moment and then vanished with nearly silent cracks. They arrived at the ward boundary of Potter Manor a moment or so later. "I still say they've gotten off too easily," Tonks muttered as they walked onto the Manor grounds.

"Hardly. Those sorts of people value their reputation beyond all else." Narcissa explained, "Going to a muggle prison will hurt them more than any curse we could devise." As they walked up the path they were met by Harry. "I told you I would be back shortly." She said to the teen-aged wizard, "Why aren't you in the Manor?"

"I got tired of hearing about the 'glory days'," Harry said, kicking a bit of snow off of his shoes as they walked back to the Manor. "Where were you two anyway?"

"Handling some business in London." Narcissa lied smoothly, "The Potter and Black Wizengamot offices need to be cleaned and refurbished."

"I had paperwork. Boring stuff. You'd have been asleep in ten minutes." Tonks said, much more quickly than her aunt. Harry looked askance at her but said nothing, a fact for which she was truly grateful.

"Come on, let's have something to eat before we have to get back to Hogwarts," Harry said leading them to the dining room.

Scene Break

Bellatrix had taken to spending more days than not with Jim. She had even gone into the nearby city where he had his office. Dressed in some clothes he'd found for her at a Sue Ryder shop in town, she blended in well enough that she didn't fear being outed as a witch every time she stopped to look at something. If anything, the slightly shabby, older clothing made her nearly invisible to the passersby, allowing her plenty of time to wander among the people.

Before the contract, and its damnable compulsions that left her alert but unable to resist the pull that forced her to become something she had despised, Bellatrix had spent a great deal of time in both Muggle and Magical London. During her time with Remus, she had often haunted a bookshop he had enjoyed, looking for books that would interest him.

Now she found herself doing a similar thing with Jim. With the small amount of pound notes that he had given her to entertain herself with while he worked, she set aside part of it to find him something. Usually, it was nothing more than a bar of chocolate or a sticky bun, but she enjoyed going back to his office and sharing it with him. Jim, Bellatrix thought with a smile, was not Remus. Jim was a different man, he wasn't wrapped up in self-hatred. They didn't see eye-to-eye on everything, she didn't expect them to.

She could feel the brown eyes of her former lover burning into her as she stepped into Jim's office, a small paper bag in her hands from the local bakery. "He's here again." She said in lieu of a greeting as she set the bag on Jim's desk. "He's in the alley across the street. Sirius promised me that this wouldn't happen again."

Jim rubbed his temples and stood up from his desk, "I'll see what he wants. Or I'll punch him in that ugly mustache and send him on his way." He said to her, "If he was sent by your cousin I will wait until he's in that dog form of his and take him to be neutered." That earned at least part of a smile from his girlfriend and with that Jim walked out of his office and onto the sidewalk. Sure enough, he saw Remus there. He growled in annoyance and crossed the empty street, "Are you here for a reason or do you just like my brickwork?"

"Peace," Remus said holding his hand up, "I'm not here to start any trouble with you or with Bella."

"Bellatrix to you."

"Fine, Bellatrix. I just wanted to offer a word of warning based on something that Sirius had said to me. May we speak in your office?" He asked Jim.

Jim shook his head, "Bad idea. Bella will most likely want to kill you and I do not want to try and get your blood out of my carpet. Just don't shout the word 'magic' and we should be alright." He wasn't willing to let the other man into his office, not now and most likely not ever. Jim hadn't trusted Remus from the beginning and he certainly wasn't going to now.

"Bellatrix is still considered under Ministry control, correct?" Remus began. When Jim nodded he continued, "That means that agents of our Ministry will be keeping an eye on her. Depending on what Sirius told Madame Bones they are probably already doing so. If that is the case tell her to stay near your office."

"She doesn't leave the square until we are on our way home." Jim said, "How much closer do you want?"

"She should stay in your office. They will be watching and if she puts a toe out of line, then something very bad could happen. Has Bellatrix ever told you about what guards our prison?" Remus asked the man, "If a member of our Ministry thought that Bellatrix was falling into bad habits she could wind up back there, or worse they could decide that she is too dangerous to be allowed to remain conscious any more. She could lose her very soul."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," explained Remus, "That the guards of our Prison, are _Dementors_ ," Remus nearly whispered the word, "They are dark creatures that feed on the happiness of humans and if given the chance, the soul as well. I am sad to say that from what Sirius has mentioned you've given her a great deal more happiness that I was able to in the brief time you've known her. You've been good for her and I'm not so stupid that I can't see that. Just- just keep her safe."

With that Remus walked deeper into the alley and before Jim's startled eyes, he vanished. Jim shook his head and then crossed the street to tell Bellatrix the warning he'd been given. To his surprise, she didn't seem nearly as worried as Remus had been.

"I'm still being a good little girl; I keep my cuffs on, I haven't thought about slitting a muggle's throat, well maybe the man who runs the cafe, but that's his fault for being a jerk." She looked at him, "I was rambling, wasn't I? Anyway, I'm behaving like a little muggle so they have no reason to harass me, and if they were to try and send me away I would have Bones tear their skins off for it."

"Your cousin was dating that Bones woman when he was arrested, why would you be entitled to more protection?" He asked her.

Bellatrix merely smiled, it wouldn't do to tell him about the voice that had told her to command the Dementors in Azkaban. "We have an arrangement," She said to him, "Now, finish your work so we can go to the Manor, Narcissa said there would be a surprise for us when we got back."


	27. Chapter 27

**Your Love Is All The Magic I Need**

 **A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Seven. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven: Sirius Business**

Harry and Tonks left to go back to Hogwarts after dinner. As Narcissa watched leave via the floo she turned to Sirius, "So," she began, "what is your plan for Hogwarts?" She asked her cousin.

"So far," He said moving from the doorway of the study to the large desk, "I've been working on the stuff I wanted our professors to tell us. None of that 'the best way to survive trouble is to avoid it' nonsense. The first years are learning to dodge curses via a paint spell I fling at them. The second years have the same but I set the classes into two teams with students from each House on both sides. They learn the paint spell and cast it at each other. Third and four years have that plus studying dark creatures, the fifth through seventh years have their O. and N.E. so I just teach them what they need for that and a few other spells for fun and defense."

"And just how much of your curriculum was invented by you and your fellow Marauders?" Narcissa asked dryly. At the chuckle she rolled her eyes, "Of course the answer would be 'most of it'. How has the esteemed Headmaster taken your lesson plans?"

Sirius drew out a piece of parchment and began to write on it, "The great and all-powerful Dumbledore is doing his best to make me feel like part of the Hogwarts family." He said with some distaste evident in his voice, "Odds are that he's either waiting for me to drop my guard and stop checking my food for potions, or he's counting on the whole 'letting Harry and Hermione save me from the Kiss' thing." He finished what he was writing and rolled it up, "Amelia needs this, thanks for letting me borrow your owl." He said quickly as he left the room.

The fact that Narcissa hadn't actually let him borrow the owl should be understood.

Narcissa was annoyed by her cousin but didn't feel it was worth bothering with him. In truth, she didn't much feel like anything. From the moment Lucius had suggested seducing Harry Potter her life had begun twisting and turning in methods she could have never expected. Now her husband was in Azkaban thanks to his abuse of her, her son was essentially a manservant to Harry in order to keep him out of Azkaban and her sister was in a relationship with a muggle. Life was strange, she mused as she watched Tonks and Harry vanish at the edge of the property.

What would happen in a years time? What changes would happen to her life by the time Harry was old enough for her seduction to really take hold? _Would he even want someone as old as I will be when he's an adult?_ She thought. The idea of using a stronger dose of amortentia flitted into her mind and she was tempted for just long enough to be disgusted by the idea. A perfume with a weak love potion in it was one thing, but the actual potion was quite another.

She was still musing about the future when Bellatrix appeared coming down the pathway. Bellatrix was happy now, for the first time since the day she had been forced to marry Lestrange. Narcissa wanted that happiness for herself.

Scene Break

Harry still hated apparating. It felt like his stomach got lost halfway on the way back to Hogsmeade and had to rush to catch up with the rest of him. He stumbled as they appeared on the cobblestone streets of the village, Tonks chuckled as he steadied himself. "This is the closest I get to being less clumsy than someone else." She said as she reached for his arm to steady him.

Harry swallowed, forcing his dinner to remain where it had been, before speaking, "I'm glad my pain can sustain you." He said dryly, earning another chuckle from the pink-haired woman. The pair walked along the path to the castle. "So, the Yule Ball is next week." He said as they crested a small hill.

"Yep. Hestia is so jealous, the Weird Sisters are playing." Tonks said, her hair turning brighter pink as she thought about it, "They are only the best wizarding band in the world. I can't believe Dumbledore hired them. I was half expecting that he'd forget the school is full of young people and went with Celestina Warbeck or someone as creaky as she is."

"Creaky?"

"Old."

Harry laughed, "How did you find out?" He asked her as they came to the Hogwarts gate.

"My friend Rhiannon does security for them. She's tiny, about your height and nearly as skinny, but she's also the best fighter I've ever seen." Tonks explained, "She sent me a letter telling me, and I quote: 'I'm coming and bad decisions are coming with me'." She laughed at the memory, "Rhee is always up for shenanigans."

"Wonderful, so a short and scrawny dynamo with a short temper and a large array of hazardous spells?" Harry began, stopping when Tonks scoffed.

"I didn't say anything about a short temper."

Harry looked at her, "How is her temper?"

"It's short, but you just assumed that. You got lucky Potter." Tonks said with a little grin, "However until you are older that's as lucky as you're getting. Now that I'm miffed with you half-insulting my friend, I'm going to wear my special 'getting some' dress and you're going to have to deal with bollocks so blue they'll look like they've been dipped in paint."

By this time the gate opened and their good-natured bickering ended as the pair began their walk into Hogwarts proper.

Fleur was waiting for them when they arrived in the hallway leading to the Grand Staircase. "I missed you." She said as she embraced him, kissing his cheek. "You missed something rather interesting." She said as she fell into step with Harry and Tonks.

"What?" Harry asked her.

"Another Slytherin student tried to accost Evangeline today." Fleur said, "A Terrence Higgs," She continued on, "He made a rude comment insinuating that Evangeline would prefer flying on his broomstick."

"Ooh, that didn't go well I'll bet." Tonks said, "Your cousin is pretty tough."

"She is." Fleur said nodding, "She tricked him into going into a closet. She left him there for most of the day with silencing charms on the door." The corner of Fleur's mouth twitched, "He may or may not have been missing his clothes when he was found by your Mister Filch."

That drew laughs from the trio as they climbed the stairs. "I remember his brother." Tonks said as they made their way to the room she was using, "Gerald Higgs was dumber than a troll with a head injury. He was the only person I'd ever met that actually had to be reminded that the pointy end of your wand is the one you stick out at the world."

Fleur shook her head, "How did he manage to even get to Hogwarts then? One would think someone like that would have choked on his own tongue before he reached eleven." She said as Tonks opened the door to her quarters.

On her desk was a stack of papers. "Fucking oath, I forgot I needed to send another report to Bones." She sat down at the desk, "I'll be here the rest of the day, you two have fun." She waved her hand to tell them to leave her to her paperwork.

Fleur and Harry left Tonks' quarters, but instead of going to the Gryffindor Common Room, she led him up to the Room of Requirement. "I had an idea," She told him, "This room, it can bring us anything yes?"

"Nearly. Hermione said it wouldn't create food for us."

"Gamp's laws...right." Fleur said, "I was thinking more along the lines of asking it for books from the restricted section of the library." She smirked, "There are rules against checking out the ones in the library, but we aren't going to have the originals, we'll be reading copies."

Opening the room, Fleur thought about the Hogwarts Library and specifically the restricted section. By her mental command, the room full of wooden benches and tables, row upon row of bookshelves lined the wall of the chamber.

"I love magic." Harry said simply as they each chose a book and began to read.

Scene Break

Studying these books, Harry realized a few hours later, was painful. Literally in the case of the one he currently held, a book on offensive charms that stung his hand as if small bugs were biting him. Setting the book down on the table. He looked at his hands, sure enough, there were small red marks on his hands. "I appreciate the idea here, but the books are still dangerous." He said to Fleur who was carefully turning the pages of a book on battlefield transfiguration spells.

"It was worth a try. I can heal those blisters for you, perhaps if we ask for a pair of dragonhide gloves it will be safe to continue reading." She said turning from her book and going to his side.

"I won't say no to healing the blisters, but I don't understand any of the spells I was looking at. I'm fair at charms, but this is seventh-year stuff." Harry said, "It's really reminding me that I am a the fourth-year student going up against challenges designed for seventh year students."

"We will get through this, with as little maiming as possible." Fleur said to him, taking his hands in hers and channeling a healing spell through the touch. "I won't lose you to this tournament."

Harry looked at his hands, now slightly pink but not hurting anymore, "Every year something tries to kill me. Every single year."

"And every year you are still alive at the end of the term." Fleur said quietly, "You will survive this year, the next three after it as well, and die a very old and happy man." She leaned over and kissed him over the book she was reading. "We are going to be very happy and I refuse to let anyone, dark wizard or not, stand in the way of that."

That seemed to reassure him. Harry called for a pair of dragonhide gloves and once the room created them, he put them on. With that as a buffer between him and the pages, it was easier to read the books. With only the knowledge that whatever they would be looking for would be at the bottom of a lake, they knew they would need ways to track their items. "It will be the case, most likely, that they will have our items charmed against simple summoning charms." Fleur said, "I have found something here, it's dangerous and most likely illegal, but I have found a spell that will act as a tether between yourself and something. You can't use it before the occasion, you would have to know what was missing first."

"Why is it so dangerous and most likely illegal?" Harry asked her, closing his book again.

"It involves a soul tether. It's nearly the same as an older spell that creates what is known as a Horcrux. The difference is that the soul of the caster stays where it is and you don't have to commit a murder." Fleur explained, "With a Horcrux, you use the act of murder to split your soul and place a piece somewhere else. That piece is hidden and until the item holding it is destroyed, the person who split their soul cannot fully die."

"Was that in the book you just read?" Harry asked her, "That sounds an awful lot like something Voldemort would have done."

"No, my father told me about them. My fathers' side of the family used to be curse breakers before they became bureaucrats." She explained, "My great-times-three grandfather was part of the team that stopped a French wizard from creating one. They explained his crimes to the muggles by creating the legend of the beast of Gevaudan. Unfortunately, that means part of the stigma against werewolves was our fault."

"I'm sure the only werewolf I know won't hold that against your family." Harry said, "Professor Lupin was my Defense professor last year, he was a werewolf. I've seen Sirius, I haven't seen him though." He said that last part softly. Remus Lupin wasn't bound like Sirius had been to hide. He hadn't been a wanted man. But he still hadn't seen anything from him, and he was fairly certain that he'd seen the articles in the Daily Prophet.

"Perhaps he's not in England?" Fleur offered, "Werewolves don't have an easy time in England, so perhaps he's taken to traveling."

"Sirius mentioned him. Something about his cousin dating a muggle." Harry said, "His cousin had been with her before she got married."

"Wait, his cousin or Lupin's?"

"His. Professor Lupin used to date Sirius' cousin." Harry clarified. "Now she's dating a muggle. Considering who his cousin is that's kind of a big deal."

"Who is it?"

"She used to be a Death Eater. One of the big ones. Bellatrix Lestrange." Harry finished, "Apparently she had been under some sort of compulsion. The difference between her compulsion and the one Lucius Malfoy claimed to be under is that hers actually happened."

They began to study again. Eventually, their places at the table turned into the two of them sharing a chair, each reading the same book. Harry slowly noticed that Fleur had fallen asleep. He was now in possession of a powerful piece of bribery.

Fleur snored like a can of pebbles being thrown down a hallway made of broken glass. It wasn't a quiet snuffling sort of snore, it was as if a kitchen knife had been forced into a meat grinder.

He chuckled and allowed her to continue to snore. She needed the rest it seemed.


	28. Chapter 28

Your **Love Is All The Magic I Need**

 **A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Eight. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Ball**

"Rhee!" Tonks called as she opened her door. A slim brunette walked inside and hugged the Auror, "'lo there Tonks." She said in a husky voice as they embraced, "What's this I hear about you dating a Fourth-Year?" Rhiannon Cosgrove had short spiky brown hair and a myriad of tattoos that traced up and down both of her arms. She wore muggle-made blue jeans and a black shirt baring the name of her employers 'The Weird Sisters'. Mischief sparked in her brown eyes as she stepped back, "I thought you were waiting for me to come back off tour?"

"Come off it, Rhee, one drunken kiss in Sixth-Year does not a relationship make." Tonks said with a laugh at her friend, "Maybe when Harry is older we can surprise him though…" She winked at the surprise on her friends' face. "Serious talk though, yes, Harry and I are together. He's also dating the Beauxbatons champion, Fleur Delacour."

"Blimey girl, you can't help but have freaky shit happen to you, can you?" Rhiannon replied leaning against the stone wall of Tonks' quarters. "So, the band is settled in their rooms at the pub. We've got a few hours while the kids get dressed, let's go do something fun and irresponsible."

"Such as?"

"Kidnap your boytoy and run off the Vegas?"

"I don't think so Rhee."

"Kidnap your boytoy and run off to Tahiti?"

"I don't think so Rhee."

"Boo. You're no fun in your old age." Rhiannon said with an easy grin. "I do expect to meet him before the wedding you know."

Tonks laughed and nodded, "Fine, let's go see him. He'll either be in his Common Room or in a room he found upstairs." The two witches left her quarters and made their way to the staircase that led up to the Gryffindor tower. "So, how's life as a roadie?"

"I prefer the term 'electrical technician." Rhiannon replied smoothly, "And you know it's awesome. We were in Macau a few days ago. The casinos are insane, Bub thought he was going to end up deep in debt to the mafia before we pulled his lanky ass out." 'Bub', also know as Jack Davis, was Rhiannon's boyfriend and a fellow 'electrical technician'. He and Rhiannon had been together since she'd graduated. He was a muggle and as is often the case with mixed relationships, it had been quite a shock to him to find out that his girlfriend was a witch.

Tonks led them to the portrait where the Fat Lady looked at them, "Password?" she asked Tonks.

"Not today, I just need to know if Harry Potter is inside." Tonks said to the portrait, "Has he came out?"

"He's not here. He left with one of the other boys and a girl." The Fat Lady replied. She, like all the guardian portraits had been informed that the Aurors assigned to Hogwarts for the tournament could come into the Common Rooms when needed.

"Got it, he'll be in the room he found upstairs then. Thank you." She said to the portrait before turning back to Rhiannon. "Come on, you're going to love this room he found. Anything you want it can make. We went up to it a few days ago and practiced some dueling up there."

"Is that all you practiced?" Rhiannon asked with a sly grin.

Tonks rolled her eyes, "Are you and Bub having trouble in bed Rhee? You keep asking me about what I've done with a fourteen-year-old." She groaned when she saw the look in her friends' eye. "Shut up." Tonks said to a now chuckling Rhiannon.

The talk stopped as they arrived at a blank wall. Tonks drew her wand and cast the patronus charm, "Harry, it's Tonks. My friend Rhiannon and I are outside." The jackrabbit disappeared through the wall and a moment later a door appeared surprising Rhiannon.

"What th-"

"This room is crazy Rhee. It can give you anything in the castle." Tonks explained to her as she opened the door revealing the configuration Harry and Neville had chosen. The room had two different privacy screens with a pair of school robes hanging on each one. Harry stood at the side of the leftmost screen with his back to the door wearing the robes that he and Narcissa had purchased from Master Sartor in Diagon Alley. He stood in front of a mirror and adjusted his tie as they entered.

Tonks crossed the distance between the door and Harry. She pulled him into a hug before fixing his now crooked tie. "Very dashing Mr. Potter." She said softly, "If I have to share my dances with Fleur and the others, I'm calling the first and the last dance."

"I thought the Fat Lady said that there was a girl with you and your friend." Rhiannon said plopping down into a squashy chair and throwing her booted feet over one of the arms.

"Hermione is with Luna, Fleur, and Evangeline." Harry explained to them. "They are going to meet us in the Hallway when it's time for the dance."

"Speaking of I need to change." Tonks said. She stepped back out of the door and looked at a spot in the empty hallway. "Can I get a House Elf?"

With a small pop Dobby appeared before her, the paper wrapped parcel in his hands. "Thank you, you little stalker." She said with a grin before accepting the package and walking back into the room. "Right, let me have a little privacy to change-" and with that the room suddenly grew a small chamber in the back right corner for her, "I love this place." She said as she stepped back and went inside.

Rhiannon looked at Harry who had went to Neville's side of the room and was helping the boy with his tie, "So, Tonksie got her hooks into you." It wasn't a question and Harry could tell that. There was a cry of 'fuck you Rhee!' from the partition the room had given Tonks and the other woman laughed, "I love you too Nym-pha-Dora!" She called out and sunk deeper into the chair. "She's good people but too high strung, make sure you keep her nice and off balance."

"She's high strung according to you?" Harry said incredulously.

Rhiannon nodded lazily, "Yep. She's always been the driven one of our little group. Well nearly, her and Rowan fought over their O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's. Rowan was determined he was going to have the best scores, so he could be a Professor." She grinned, "His boyfriend had a time keeping him calm at the end of each year."

Tonks stepped out, dressed in her gown. "How do I look?"

"Like a desperate old woman," Rhiannon said with a laugh.

Tonks rolled her eyes and looked at Harry, "How do I look?" The dress was soft purple, a color matched by her hair. Tonks had chosen to have long curly hair. The first thought Harry could consciously say he'd had was _I wonder where she's hiding her wand?_ The actual first thought Harry had was something like 'murglewerp' as he had lost the capacity for rational thought momentarily.

Tonks noticed the look on his face and internally congratulated herself. _I knew this dress was a good idea._ She thought as she came closer and kissed Harry's cheek. "I take it you approve?"

"If he approved any harder he'd need a change of pants." Rhiannon said sliding out of the chair and standing. "I'm going to check on the boys to make sure they're sober enough to play. I'll see you before we leave again." She stepped out of the room.

"She's interesting." Neville said after he was certain the diminutive brunette had left. It had been the first time he'd spoken since Rhiannon and Tonks' arrival.

"Knowing Rhee she's worried about something." Tonks noted as she checked her dress in the mirror, "Whenever she's nervous she gets boisterous. When she thought she'd failed her Potions exam in Third-Year she ended up setting our friend Ismelda's robes on fire with a prank spell." She took Harry's hand, "Come on you two, let's go to the Ball."

Scene Break

Fleur sighed as she checked her dress a final time. _Everything needs to be perfect tonight._ She knew she was being silly. She and Harry had already shared more than a few heated kisses, this should be nothing more than a dance. But it wasn't. It was their technical first date. That meant more to Fleur than she had really expressed. Fleur hadn't had many dates despite her beauty. Most of the boys she'd met over the years had been, frankly, immature. A lack of interest in dealing with drooling children who would merely paw at her had meant that Fleur had only been on a handful of dates.

"Will you relax!" Evangeline said rolling her eyes and applying a drying charm to her toenails. "It's going to be a wonderful night for you and your man. If you get worried that it isn't going well just pull him into a dark corner and stick your hand in his pants."

Fleur heard a gasp from Hermione and sighed, "I am not sticking my hand in his pants, as you so crudely put it. I just want tonight to be perfect."

Evangeline laughed at that, "Nothing is ever perfect cousin, and you know it. You could plan everything and then an errant shrimp appetizer could have you spewing all over him."

"You aren't helping." Hermione said crossly.

Luna shook her head, "She is trying to distract Fleur. That way she thinks about her silly ideas and not her own worries."

"Thank you for giving away my plan." Evangeline muttered to the blonde. "Still, you care about him, he cares about you, just enjoy the night." The teasing tone had left her voice and she spoke softly, "He's not Guillaume."

"I know that." Fleur said sharply, "I would never insult him by comparing him to that oaf-"

"Then why are you acting like he's going to reject you if you have a single hair out of place?" Evangeline asked, cutting her cousin off. "If he did I would just poison him and you know that."

"Who's Guillaume?" Hermione asked. She flinched when Evangeline looked at her as if daring her to say anything else.

Fleur sighed, "Guillaume Dubois is a boy in our year. I thought I loved him when we were in our fifth year. He said all the right things and gave me all the right presents. Then I caught him with Sabine, a girl in the year above ours."

"Dubois was a racist piece of shit. He found out that Fleur was partly Veela and suddenly she wasn't good enough." Evangeline spat, "When I found her in our dorm she had to lock the door to keep me from break sixteen laws upside of his head!"

"I'm so sorry I asked," Hermione said swiftly, "I promise you that isn't Harry."

Fleur smiled softly, "I- I know that. I do. Those visions of the life we lived before could have told me that." She sighed and straightened her shoulders, "I'm being foolish. Let's go and enjoy ourselves ladies." With that, the foursome left the carriage and made their way across the grounds.

Here and there they could see small knots of students making their way to the Great Hall. "Do they have Balls at Beauxbatons?" Hermione asked the older girls, "This is the first one we've had at Hogwarts since I've been here."

"We have one around this time of year. We don't get as long a Yule break as you do here. So, we have a party before we go to our homes." Evangeline replied, "No one stays at the school during the breaks except staff."

"What if the students don't want to go home?" Hermione asked, "Harry wouldn't be able to go home during the break, what would he do?"

"Obviously he would go home with Fleur and live in her closet so her parents wouldn't see him." Evangeline said teasing her cousin. "I'm sure Beauxbatons has something in place for orphans or something, but as far as I know I see the same people leave the school as I do enter it."

"There's Harry with Tonks and Neville." Hermione said excitedly, "They both look very dashing, don't they?"

"Easy Granger, I called dibs on Longbottom and Fleur called dibs of Potter." Evangeline teased and then laughed at the blush on the brunette witch's face. "Alright ladies, as my mother would say: 'back straight, tits out, let's make everyone know how lucky our men are!'"

Evangeline enjoyed the look on the wizards faces. Not just Harry and Neville, but the others as well. _Sorry boys, we're all spoken for…_ She grinned at the look of bitter disappointment on the face of Roger, the Ravenclaw who had asked her out immediately after asking Fleur and being rejected. He looked sick with jealousy as Evangeline kissed Neville's cheek and accepted the corsage he'd gotten for her. Luna received a dark red flower that contrasted nicely against her off white dress, she also kissed the boy who was now blushing as dark red as the flower he'd just handed Evangeline.

Hermione was given a blue flower by Harry, while Fleur received a yellow rose. Tonks already had hers, a purple flower Evangeline couldn't place. "You all look amazing," Harry said to them. Neville, still beet red from being kissed by Evangeline and Luna merely nodded.

"You don't look shabby yourselves." Evangeline offered, "So, you and Fleur have to be announced right? We'll find a table and wait for you to come back to us."

"Sorry, I called the first dance." Tonks said, "Fleur will need to borrow Neville."

Neville walked numbly over. Harry saw the overwhelmed look on his friends face and decided to help him, "Neville is the best dancer of our group, so Fleur is in for a treat. I just hope I don't trip too hard."

With the partners decided, the group split with Harry and Tonks followed by Neville and Fleur walking into the Great Hall. After a moment the three girls did the same. "Do you think they'll be alright?" Hermione asked Evangeline.

"Who knows? I'm sure there isn't a dragon hiding in here and as far as we know the only Death Eater has been removed." Evangeline told her as they went inside and took in the decorations. "Still Tonks has her wand hidden somewhere on her and I know Fleur has done the same. Our men should survive the night well enough."

Hidden out of sight a small green beetle watched everything, taking as many notes as she could mentally. _Those brats dared to embarrass me, I'll find something juicy tonight!_


	29. Chapter 29

**Your Love Is All The Magic I Need**

 **A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Nine. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Ball II**

 _The place looks completely different…_ Harry thought as they stepped inside. The Great Hall was missing nearly everything he recognized. In its place were smaller tables, meant for groups of four or so to sit together. Everything was in silver or gold with twinkling lights coming from scores of candles. "Well slap my ass and call me Sally. It really is beautiful." Tonks breathed beside him. Neville and Fleur made quiet sounds of agreement as they stepped towards a large stage where the Head Table was usually sitting. Dumbledore stood on the stage, McGonagall led them back behind the stage and they saw Viktor standing beside a Slytherin girl that Harry vaguely recognized as one of the girls who didn't associate with Pansy Parkinson's gang. Harry saw Cedric and Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw seeker he remembered from his last year.

"Professor Dumbledore will announce you all once the doors open for the other students," Professor McGonagall said to them as she moved apart. "I expect that you will all be a credit to your respective schools and in the case of Ms. Tonks, will not be using profanity when in earshot of the student body." Harry saw Tonks wince slightly at the reproach. With that, McGonagall stepped out onto the main stage leaving them alone.

The pairs moved closer and one by one introductions were made. Harry learned that Viktor was with Daphne Greengrass. "Our families know each other," he explained, "the Krum and Greengrass families did business together before the wars."

"Perhaps we can begin again," Daphne said coolly, though Harry noticed a slight flush on her cheeks.

"Students, welcome to the Yule Ball of the Triwizard Tournament!" Dumbledore called out grandly from the stage that had been erected in the Great Hall. "Allow me to introduce our Champions; we have the Champion from Durmstrang, Viktor Krum, accompanied by Slytherin Houses Daphne Greengrass!" Viktor slouched to the front of the stage dressed in red formal robes, at his side was Daphne Greengrass in light blue robes. The audience clapped for them and after a moment Dumbledore continued, "The Champion for Beauxbaton, Fleur Delacour, accompanied by Gryffindor Houses Neville Longbottom!" At that, Neville and Fleur stepped forward to their own cheers and moved to stand beside Viktor and Daphne. Dumbledore waited a moment for the applause to die down before speaking again, "Next we have our two Champions for Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory accompanied by Ravenclaw Houses Cho Chang!" Cedric and Cho stepped forward, Cedric in black robes and Cho in silver, "and Harry Potter accompanied by Junior Auror Nymphadora Tonks!"

"Long-bearded tosser. Calling me a 'Junior Auror'." Tonks muttered as they stepped out to stand with Cedric and Cho. Once the quartet had stood together they moved to stand with Viktor and Fleur.

"Allow me to introduce the entertainment for tonight! The Weird Sisters!" Dumbledore waved his wand and with a flash of purple smoke, the three men who made up the Weird Sisters appeared on the stage to loud applause. The first song was slow and gentle and Champions along with their dates opened the dance. Harry felt Tonks stumble slightly into him as her foot seemed to hit an invisible snag. He chuckled and held her closer as they moved together.

"Thanks, love," She said quietly, "I'm shit at this, always have been." Her voice barely carried to his ear as the band played ahead of them. Harry didn't care, Tonks smelled faintly of vanilla and was both warm and soft in his arms. He loved it.

He looked over and saw Neville and Fleur dancing together. Neville was a much better dancer, he and Fleur moved together well as they traced around Harry and Tonks. Cho and Cedric were half dancing and half just staring into each other's eyes. Krum and Greengrass were dancing as if this were a Task in and of itself, they moved together to draw the eye of the crowd. As the first song ended the other students began to step onto the dancefloor and Harry and Tonks broke apart. "I'm going to see Rhee and catch up, you have fun until I get back alright?" She said before kissing his cheek and letting Hermione take her place with him.

Scene Break

Draco watched from the back corner of the Hall. Pansy, upon learning that he had become a bondservant of Harry, had swiftly abandoned him for Theodore Nott. So, he was alone.

He'd almost decided against coming, but he refused to let her win. Instead, he had decided that attending the Ball was the better choice. _As if I would let her think she had me upset enough to stay in our Common Room!_ He thought angrily as he took a sip from his punch.

This was supposed to have been his year. But everything had gone wrong. He'd had the brilliant idea to brew a potion and let that jealous prat Weasley overhear his plan to give it to Potter. His father was in Azkaban and his mother had forced him to be the bondservant of his worst enemy. _Maybe I could convince Mother to send me to Durmstrang if I tell her it would ensure I wouldn't start any trouble with Potter or his friends?_

Durmstrang had a much more sensible approach to the Dark Arts, teaching them rather than just the pathetic Defense class at Hogwarts. _Plus, no mudbloods allowed. It would be perfect._ He smirked at the idea of being at a school free of know-it-all bints like Grainger.

That was when she and Harry began their dance.

 _Where the hell is *this* Grainger every other day of the year?_ Draco thought as he saw them on the floor. _It's a lot easier to hate her for being a pain in my ass when she isn't the best-looking girl on the floor._ He thought as he forced himself to look away. His eyes fell on Daphne and Krum. That was a pairing that made sense to the fourth-year Slytherin. _Greengrass is smart and beautiful. Odds are good she'll have him in a marriage contract by the time she's ready to graduate._ That was how marriage worked in his mind; you found the person that fulfilled your needs and that you could stomach seeing naked. _The_ Bulstrode _the family has money, but it would take a lot more than galleons to make me even kiss her let alone-_ Draco shivered in disgust at the scene his mind had conjured.

 _There has to be a way out of this._ Draco thought as he took another sip of his punch. _Maybe I should ask Uncle Severus?_ His godfather, Draco knew, was a very smart man. Surely, he could think of a way to work around the oath he'd given.

 _Maybe I should try a different angle?_ Draco found his eyes wandering to Hermione again, now she was seated with the French witch who'd humiliated him. When the older girl got up and went to take her spot on the floor with Harry, Neville was dancing with a girl he'd heard called Looney, he had an idea. _Grainger is smart, but she's an idiot. She has pity for House Elves, so if I make her think I'm the downtrodden one in this situation, I'll bet I can get her to make Potter drop the debt._ He was certain his father would be proud of his plan. _"Always use an idiot to get what you want, they'll never know what's coming until it's too late."_ That was what Lucius Malfoy had taught his heir and now he was going to use that lesson. But how?

 _Books? She has a fetish for the written word. Maybe I could buy her something about how to keep her hair like that…no, she'd see through that. Right now, she wouldn't trust me, I need her to trust me, so I need to think of something better._ Draco pursed his lips in thought, he needed a way in, _What about something from the family library? I'm sure there's some book on spells that we won't miss. I'll bet I could find a compulsion rune in one of the books in the Restricted Section, Uncle Severus would be happy to see that I'm studying ahead in Ancient Runes, he'd give me permission. I could slip a mild compulsion to trust me into the book._

Draco Malfoy, when all was said and done, was truly his father's son after all.

Scene Break

"Not bad Potter," Evangeline said quietly as she danced with the second Hogwarts Champion, "You aren't as good as Neville, but no one is." She smirked and then cast her eyes over where Luna and Neville were dancing the foxtrot. Or at least Neville was trying to. Luna was pulling him into a different sort of dance and he seemed incapable of preventing it. "He's a bit of a marshmallow with women, good thing I have a sweet tooth." She said as her smirk turned into an actual smile.

"So, why do you like him so much?" Harry asked, drawing her attention back to him.

Evangeline laughed softly, "Why wouldn't I?"

"He's fourteen."

"That's not stopping Fleur or Tonks with you, now is it?" Evangeline said with a wink. "However, back to my question, why wouldn't I like him? Neville is cute, he is the heir to a good family, he's intelligent, and given his marshmallow status I'm fairly sure I can talk him into pampering me."

"I feel like I need to protect my friend from you." Harry said, "Neville doesn't need someone to use him."

"Who is using him?" Evangeline retorted, "I can promise you that he would very much enjoy a marriage to me."

"Marriage is more than buying you presents. You are supposed to love each other." Harry replied quickly as they spun a bit faster than the tempo of the band.

"I know what a marriage is. My father turned his back on England to be with my mother. Here he was a non-magical son who was thrown aside when he turned sixteen." Evangeline said sharply, "My mother loves that man more than anything else. Neville and I could have that."

"You could, but the literal fourth thing you said was that you could get him to give you whatever you wanted."

"You forget," She said heatedly, caramel eyes flashing, "I also said he was kind and intelligent. You are the one who is suggesting that he wouldn't be able to make up his own mind about me." She released his hands and stepped back, "Do you think so little of him that you believe he wouldn't be able to say 'no' when it counted?"

The music had changed to a much faster tune and Harry stepped forward and pulled her back into a dance. "You are probably one of the most beautiful women that has ever been at this school. Neville is a great guy, probably one of the bravest I know when it comes down to it in fact, but he's also lonely." He looked over to the smiling Longbottom and then back, "He lives with his grandmother who constantly belittles him for forgetting things, our Potions professor is so hard on him that when he faced a boggart last year it came out as Snape. I trust him, it's you I have my doubts about."

Evangeline looked close to drawing her wand. As if summoned Fleur stepped over to take her dance with Harry. Evangeline glared at him and then went to Neville and took Luna's place. "What was all that?" Fleur asked him as they began their first dance of the night. "I haven't seen her that angry since Pierre Mourad hexed her braid into hitting her."

"I-" Harry was uncertain of what to do. How do you tell your girlfriend that you don't trust her cousin? "I am just worried about Neville." He said after a moment, "She called him a marshmallow."

Fleur rolled her eyes and then shook her head, "Evangeline calls her father one as well. Uncle Peter is a good man, but he is very soft when it comes to his daughter. My mother says it's why he has Aunt Genevieve handle all the discipline in that house."

"I just don't want him to be hurt by her." Harry said, "She's not like you. She keeps talking about wanting him to buy her things."

Fleur nodded, "I understand that. I also know that for all her talk about how she can manipulate men, she has never had a serious relationship. The Lalaurie name holds some stigma back home. Behind her bluster, she is lonely."

Harry found that hard to believe. He hadn't been lying when he'd said she was beautiful. He looked over where she and Neville were dancing. She was either a very good actor or Neville was doing a very good job of making her less stressed. She was smiling in a way he had never seen before, it wasn't a smirk or a mocking smile, it was an actual, honest-to-Merlin smile. The kind that crinkled the edges of her eyes and seemed mirrored in Neville's own face.

"I promise, she is a human being under the bravado." Fleur said pulling him closer, "Besides, if she isn't genuine she'd slip up eventually and then I would curse her bald." Fleur and Harry both laughed at that.

"Look at that," Harry nudged her and directed her gaze to the doors. "Hagrid and Madame Maxime are stepping outside together."

"She likes him." Fleur confided, "There aren't many men that can handle being with a woman of her…stature." She leaned closer and whispered, "Would you like to go for a walk on the grounds after this dance?"

"I need to give Luna her dance but then sure," Harry said as they broke off from each other's arms.

"In that case, I will wait for you by the door," Fleur said to him as he and Luna began to dance. She watched Luna pulling Harry into a series of swift circles and laughed to herself. Walking past the crowds she took a spot by the door and waited.

Crowd watching was an enjoyable activity. But it did mean that Fleur was not pay attention to her back, and so as she and Harry stepped out a short time later, neither noticed the small green beetle hiding on the back of her gown just behind her hair.


	30. Chapter 30

**Your Love Is All The Magic I Need**

 **A/N: Don't own a thing, especially not HP. I hope you enjoy Chapter Thirty. Italics denote thoughts. Bold is for spells.**

 **Chapter Thirty: The Ball III**

Fleur, Harry had noticed and not for the first time, was enjoying the attention as they made their way towards the enchanted grotto outside of the castle. _It's not so bad, I guess, being famous if I'm with Fleur and Tonks._ He thought as they arrived at a small bench hidden from the others. "It's very peaceful here…" Fleur said after a moment, a trace of nervous energy in her voice, "It's as if, for tonight, the world outside of the school doesn't exist."

Her hand went to rest on Harry's. He took her hand in his own and squeezed it gently, Fleur's hand compared to his own was soft and silky. His fingers felt rough even months after the work he'd done on Privet Drive, especially so compared to the much slimmer hand of his girlfriend. Fleur leaned against his shoulder and sighed contentedly. "After the tournament, you must come to France for the summer. We can return before your school year begins, if you wish."

"If I wish?" Harry said with a smile, "Do you think I will love France so much?"

"Think about it." Was all the answer she gave as she squeezed his hand, "You are famous there, but not nearly as much. Beauxbatons is a better school, the weather is better-"

"And all the children are above average." Harry finished with a laugh, "You love Beauxbatons, but Hogwarts is the first place I ever felt like I was home. I wouldn't leave unless I had a very good reason."

Fleur pouted, but there was a glint in her eyes that said she was teasing him. Harry was about to say something when they heard two very large people walk on the other side of their bushes. Fleur peered through the bushes and gasped quietly, "It's Madame Maxime and the Groundkeeper." She whispered to Harry, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

Harry moved closer to look. Sure enough, Hagrid, in his horrible suit and Maxime in her dark dress, sat on a bench overlooking a fountain. Harry had never heard Hagrid sound like this, his voice was thick like it normally was when he'd had a few drinks from the pub in the village, but his tone was soft, "I knew…from the moment I saw you, I knew you were like me."

"Like you?" Maxime said. Harry noticed that there was a definite strain in her voice, "I don't know what you mean." Fleur noticed it too, silently she tugged at his hand and pulled him from the bushes. They had just made it to the edge of the grotto when they heard Maxime's roar of 'I have big bones!' and saw her push past them as she raced away in the direction of the carriage.

Fleur sighed, "It is good that we have the rest of the break for her to calm down. She will be fuming about whatever he said for days." She told Harry as they wandered back towards the castle. "There have always been rumors about her, about her size. The stigma, it's not as bad here, but there is always talk that she is," Fleur cast her eyes around before dropping her voice to a whisper, " _a half-giant_."

"You mean there are actual giants still around?" Harry said in surprise, "I- I mean we read a little about them in Defense in my first year-"

"There are, in the most remote places they can find." Fleur said, her voice still very quiet, "They are dangerous beings, violent and prone to killing themselves. From the books about- about the Dark Lord, they joined him, many died from the Aurors and the few who survived fled. If people thought Madame was a half-giant…they would want her removed from her position."

From her perch in Fleurs hair, Rita had heard enough. As the couple walked back into the Great Hall, she clambered out and flitted away unseen. She had writing to do.

Scene Break

The next morning found Harry and his friends in the room they'd found back at work on the plan for getting whatever the chosen object was from the bottom of the lake. They had run into a problem, tracking spells were essentially one-shot spells. He couldn't put more than one object at a time under a tracking spell. When he tried tracking his Cloak and his Firebolt both spells had canceled.

He couldn't think of a way around the problem. Professor Flitwick wouldn't be able to help as this was for the Tournament and he couldn't advise Harry. _I could always see if he would talk to Tonks about it…then she could tell me what he said._ Harry shook his head, Flitwick would see right through that. _I could talk to Sirius, he wouldn't care about the rules…_

"Hey there!" Tonks' chipper voice cut through his thoughts as she sat down beside him. When she hadn't seen them downstairs for lunch that only meant that she needed to check the library. Failing that, she'd called for Dobby and that had led her to them. "You lot are annoying to find." She fake-groused as she threw her arm around Harry, "I just finished seeing Rhee and the band off. She said she could twist their arms and get the Weird Sisters to play at the wedding."

"W-wedding?!" Harry sputtered, dropping his copy of _101 Charms for the Desperate and Daring_.

Tonks looked completely serious, "Our wedding, of course, the three of us."

Fleur and Harry looked at each other, "I-" He began.

"But-" Fleur added.

Tonks laughed, surprising them both, "Maeve's baps, you two are easy!" She chuckled and wiped at her eye, "Harry might be a legal adult, but I'm still waiting until he can buy me a proper drink before I show him anything under my robes."

"You're wearing jeans." Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, they make my legs look great don't they?" Tonks said as she stretched out her right leg slowly, admiring herself, "However, that's not the point and you know it. The point," She said, poking him in the chest, "Is that you aren't ready yet."

"If we could move on from whether or not I'm ready for you to have your way with me," Harry said rolling his eyes, "Could you please tell me if you know a way to do multiple tracking spells at once?"

Tonks thought for a moment, her hair shifting from color to color as she did so, "The only way I know is to link each spell to a specific object. I don't mean the target, I mean use an object to store the energy of the spell."

"I'm lost," Harry said.

"What if we tied it to a mirror?" Hermione spoke up from her seat beside Neville and Luna. "We could use a spoken word to activate the tracking spell and Harry could use the mirror to see the object."

"That's amazing!" Neville said earning a blush from the brunette.

"It is," Tonks said, "However I don't know how to do that. I do however have a friend that could make it. I'll pop into London and ask Tulip about it, with any luck she could have one made in a few days and we can layer the spells."

"That's brilliant!" Harry said kissing her cheek.

"Hah! Count it! I got brilliant, you just got amazing!" Tonks teased Hermione, "Plus I got a kiss from Harry." She laughed as Hermione and Neville both blushed deep crimson and leaned back against Harry.

"What's with all the teasing?" Harry asked after a moment.

Tonks shrugged, "I've been bored today. Bones doesn't want me to do much besides watch right now, Sirius has to play the good boy for Dumbledore." She picked at a spot on her chin for a moment, "Plus I think I'm getting a hair on my chin. My mum has a few, you should see her at her mirror working on her hairs." She conjured a silver mirror and began to look at her chin.

"Can't you just-" Harry started, "you know, just make them go away?"

"My powers don't work that way." Tonks said continuing to inspect that spot, "I would have to constantly think about it. I'd rather do it the easy way and just pluck them."

"You could use a depilatory potion," Hermione said from her spot across from them.

"Have you used one?" Tonks said Hermione, "Those things smell like a wet Guinness fart and sting like getting your curlies caught in flypaper." Everyone winced at that image and she settled back to inspecting her chin.

It was Fleur who spoke up a few moments later, "Tonks, would it be possible for you to get a copy of the Daily Prophet for us? I want to start looking around for a job after the end of the year. This way I can see what jobs are out there."

"I could," Tonks said, "Or we could just all go. It isn't like we have anything going on right now except sitting here and reading. I can stop in and see Tulip while we're at it."

"We can't just leave the school," Hermione said looking scandalized, "We aren't supposed to go anywhere off school grounds." Tonks laughed at that. Hermione gave an annoyed huff, "It's not funny."

"Hermione, please remove the stick from your knickers." Tonks said lightly, "I can get us all out through the floo in Sirius' office. School isn't in session, so it's not like you're going to get a detention if you are with me."

Hermione was still annoyed with Tonks though, "I will stay here. I have a lot of studying to do before the term begins again." She said stiffly before standing up and walking out of the room.

"Touchy, isn't she?" Tonks said casually, though she felt a twinge of guilt. She hadn't intended on messing with Hermione that much, but she was rather a stiff personality. _It's not my fault she took it so seriously…_ She thought as the others put away their books and stood up to walk with her.

"Please, be a little nicer to her." Harry admonished, "With Ron gone, she's my oldest friend here." Harry's chest gave an odd little twinge at the thought of his friend. "Is- is it possible that he had his mind tampered with?"

"You mean as she had?" Tonks asked as they made their way down towards the corridor that housed the Defense classroom, "It's possible. I'll talk to Hestia, she's the Auror handling his case's paperwork."

They didn't say anything else until they got to the Defense classroom. Tonks opened the door before immediately closing it again and turning to face the others, "Hey, better idea, let's go anywhere else right now." She said her hair turning a sickly yellow color, "We need to-to not be in that classroom."

"Why?" Harry asked her.

Tonks pulled him along, and the rest of the group followed behind them, "Because I just caught Sirius nailing Professor Sinestra to the desk."

"You mean they were-" Harry felt a sickening lurch in his stomach, "Yeah, maybe we should go back to the room and study some more instead."

"What is it?" Fleur asked as she and Evangeline hurried to match pace with them.

"Caught my cousin banging a coworker." Tonks said quickly as they rounded the corner, "Now I need to go take a shower and then take a memory charm for that brief but horrible moment."

Scene Break

Hermione put her books down a bit more angrily than she had intended, earning a baleful look from Madam Pince. She opened her Charms textbook and began to study, copying down notes on the banishing charm. _I can't believe she told me to take the stick out of my knickers, I don't have a stick anywhere._ She thought angrily, _She's the one with the stick, a stupid stick of bitchiness._

 _Wait,_ Hermione thought after a moment, _That's not fair. If it wasn't for her, I would still have that compulsion charm on me and would be spying on Harry._ Her furious quillwork slowed, and she continued to calm down, _Tonks is just more boisterous than I'm used to._ Hermione had a habit of putting things in mental boxes. People who didn't easily fit in those boxes were the ones whom Hermione had the most problems with.

 _Like House Elves._ She thought, _If someone had just said they were symbiotic then I wouldn't have suggested freeing them so much as ensuring they weren't abused._ The common answer of 'they like serving' hadn't sat well with her. It smacked of someone trying to assuage their guilt and that wasn't her interest.

Draco had been working on his Transfiguration essay when she'd come inside. He'd watched her putting her things down and begin writing angrily. _This is a perfect opportunity._ He thought _all I have to do is convince Granger that I'm 'trying to change my ways'._ He looked down at his paper, _too bad she didn't keep her hair in that knot she had at the Ball…she looked almost human like that._

He stood up and walked over, she was so caught up in her studying that she didn't notice him. "Gr- I mean Hermione, can we talk?" He prided himself on the way he made himself sound like it was a difficult thing like he was genuinely trying to be different.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione said sharply, her eyes narrowing as she turned to face him.

He drew in a breath, "I just wanted to- to apologize for what I've done to you, and for what I've said to you and about you. Potter saved me from Azkaban, and I've been doing some thinking." He held out a hand, "Can we try again?"

Hermione looked at his hand and then back to him, "Not yet. Prove to me that you aren't still a bigoted little bully and I'll believe you."

A flicker of annoyance lingered in Draco's eyes for a moment, but it vanished quickly. "Fair enough, we'll try again later then." He walked back to his table and sat down. For a moment, he watched her beginning to write once more. _Keep up the act Draco, and you'll be free of that stupid bond soon enough…_


End file.
